Srinagar, February 4
Normal life across the Kashmir valley was affected for the fourth consecutive day today, while a curfew-like situation prevailed here with the police and the CRPF keeping a strict vigil on the movement of people to prevent any trouble due to processions and stone throwing.

There were stray incidents of stone throwing in some of the uptown localities, while other major towns of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Baramulla, Sopore and Handwara also observed a complete spontaneous shutdown on the occasion of the fourth day mourning of Wamiq Farooq. Wamiq was killed when a tear gas shell hit him during a protest in the Rajouri Kadal area of the downtown on Sunday last.

As part of preventive measures, APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was kept under house arrest at his Nigeen house today. His senior colleagues Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan have already been under house arrest since Monday last. The police and the CRPF kept a close vigil on the movement of people in the city, while movement was disallowed and a curfew-like situation prevailed in most parts of the city. These measures were taken to prevent any attempts to take out processions or stone throwing in the city.

A complete shutdown was also observed in Shopian town, where the CM presided over a meeting of the District Development Board accompanied by some of his ministerial colleagues. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Abdul Razaq Wagay, representing the two constituencies of Wachi and Shopian, stayed away from the meeting.

There was a thin attendance in government offices. However, government vehicles plied on the roads with a heavy deployment of police and security personnel all around to prevent any trouble by agitated youths.

Several people, most of them civilians, have been injured in these clashes during the past four days. The condition of two injured youths undergoing treatment at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, was stated to be serious.

DGP Kuldeep Khoda reviewed the overall security scenario in the Kashmir valley at a high-level meeting attended by senior civil, police, security and intelligence officers held at the Police Control Room here today.

The DGP stressed the need for intensifying patrolling and ensuring peace and law and order. He asked the officers to maintain vigil on the activities of anti-national elements, who always tried to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the valley. He also emphasised greater coordination between the police and security forces at all levels for effective maintenance of law and order.

The DGP, who is camping here to monitor the situation, urged people to be beware of mischief mongers and subversive elements.