Srinagar, August 26
Tension and uneasy calm prevailed across Kashmir as curfew remained in force for the third consecutive day today in 10 districts of the valley.

However, there were stray incidents of protests by groups of people in some areas where the demonstrators were dispersed by the police and security forces without any reports of clashes. The authorities, however, described the situation as peaceful.

Curfew was imposed here and in other major towns of the valley on Sunday to prevent senior separatist leaders — hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moderate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik — from marching towards the Lal Chowk on Monday, following the three major public rallies at Pampore, TRC grounds and Eidgah during the past two weeks.

The three were also arrested the same day.

Four persons also died during the day-long clashes when the police and CRPF personnel thwarted the attempts of protesters to march towards the Lal Chowk.

The coordination committee comprising the two Hurriyats, other separatist and social and trade organisations, today called for a general strike in the valley in protest against the arrest of its senior leaders.

Meanwhile, with the death of one more person, Bashir Ahmad, who succumbed to his injuries at the SMHS hospital, the death toll in the fresh clashes after the imposition of curfew has risen to six. Bashir was admitted to the SMHS hospital after he was injured in police firing at Hajin in Bandipore district yesterday.

The death of another youth, who was killed in a firing incident at Dalgate on Sunday, is being investigated. With curfew restrictions on, residents are facing an acute shortage of essential commodities like milk, bread, vegetables, cereals, other eatables and LPG.