Besides high speed internet blockage, strict restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar city on Saturday as a precautionary measure in wake of Prime Minister Narender Modi’s visit to Valley.
The authorities also foiled Lal Chowk march called by Joint Resistance Leadership comprising of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik to impress upon Modi to resolve the Kashmir issue. Reports reaching Kashmir News Bureau, (KNB) state that to ensure hassle free visit of PM Modi and in order to thwart the JRL Lal Chowk march the authorities imposed undeclared curfew in downtown Srinagar besides police and paramilitary personnel were deployed along all the roads, including lanes and by lanes leading to Lal Chowk and Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) where PM Modi inaugurate a ring road project. Shops, businesses and schools were shut while thousands of paramilitary troops and police in flak jackets spread out across Kashmir and closed off roads with razor wire and iron barricades in anticipation of anti-India protests and clashes. Mobile Internet service was snapped across Kashmir valley.
However, later was restored afternoon at about 2.00pm. Hurriyat (M) Chiarman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who tried to march towards Lal Chowk Srinagar was detained outside his Nigeen residence along with other party leaders and activists. Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and Peoples Political Party leaders and activists managed to reach Maisuma from where they tried to march towards Lal Chowk. However, police which had already laid cordon around whole Lal Chowk area immediately came into action and stopped this march and detained several leaders and activists including PPP Chairman Engineer Hilal Ahmad War.