Intelligence inputs from the MHA warned of a possible terrorist attack.
Srinagar: Security restrictions were re-imposed in most parts of Srinagar on Friday, after intelligence inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs warned of a possible terrorist attack.
Security forces have intensified their search operations and a senior police officer told The Sunday Guardian that they have been asked by the MHA to be vigilant ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting this month. He said that no Friday prayers were allowed in the main mosque of Srinagar and other big mosques of Kashmir as a “precautionary measure”.
Even as restrictions were lifted from most parts of the valley on Thursday, life remained paralysed as business establishments and public transport remained shut.
Most educational institutions, including universities, have opened, but classes remain empty as students are not turning up. The authorities have not yet opened higher secondary schools and colleges. With no ongoing classes and absence of internet services, students are unable to study.
With telecommunication lines down in Kashmir valley, students and patients continue to suffer. The government’s claims regarding the working of mobile phones in Kupwara district have been refuted by media reports that said that only incoming facility has been given to some mobile phones in the district. Though the authorities have claimed that 80% of landline exchanges have been restored, on the ground, complaints of landlines being out of order are pouring in.
According to doctors, hospitals are receiving patients regularly, but their attendants are complaining that reaching these hospitals is a major problem. In the absence of communication, patients from far off areas of Kashmir are facing hardships and it has become almost impossible for the patients who need dialysis and chemotherapy to reach private or government hospitals.
Conflicting reports have emerged from Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. Recently, regarding the death of a youth in Soura, officials said that the youth died after being hit by a stone, whereas media reports claimed that the youth succumbed to pellet injuries. It has also been reported that some masked youths killed a shopkeeper in Palpora, on the outskirts of Srinagar, to dissuade others from resuming normal life.
According to some reports, the streets are slowly being taken over by miscreants who don’t want normal life to resume in the valley.
There has been no call for shutdown from any organisation, and all separatist leaders remain detained, as the clampdown has entered its fifth week.
The Centre has been sending high-level teams to Srinagar from different wings to give a final shape to a massive financial package to start building Jammu and Kashmir on modern lines after the abrogation of Article 370. Kashmir-based journalists have appealed to the authorities to restore their mobiles and internet services. As local newspapers have suffered because of the absence of internet, the government has started an advertisement campaign in the newspapers to educate the people about the positive effects of the abrogation of Article 370.