Shutdown affects life in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Life in Muslim majority areas of Indian-controlled Kashmir, including the capital city Srinagar, remained affected on Saturday in wake of the separatist shutdown call, officials said. The shutdown was called by region's hardline faction of Hurriyat (freedom) Conference, headed by Syed Ali Geelani, to protest the killing of five people in paramilitary firing earlier this week in southern Shopian District. Geelani's Saturday call for strike was part of his renewed protest program against the Indian rule in the restive region. Shops, businesses and educational institutions remained closed in wake of the strike call. The movement of public traffic also remained affected. However private vehicles were seen plying on the roads. Authorities had deployed police and paramilitary troopers of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the old city and other sensitive towns to prevent protest demonstrations. Police had put separatist leaders, including Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Mohammed Yasin Malik, under house arrest to prevent them from leading protests. On Sept. 7, four people were killed in the Gagran Village of Shopian. Initially police and CRPF officials said they were militants killed while attacking CRPF bunker. However, later on three of the four youth turned out to be civilians, while as the fourth man was passed off as "unidentified militant" by police. Locals said all the slain men were civilians. Subsequently, another person was killed after CRPF fired on protesters. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the psyche of residents across Indian-controlled Kashmir. Every time, a rights violation takes place, residents took to roads to show resistance. A separatist movement challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Militant groups are engaged in a guerrilla war with Indian troops across the restive region. Meanwhile, curfew has entered the third week in Shopian Town.