Indian-controlled Kashmir has been hit by a general strike to mark the death anniversary of a Kashmiri man who was executed by India for his alleged involvement in an attack on India's parliament in 2001. RNA - On Sunday, almost all Shops and businesses remained closed, and traffic stayed off the streets in the main city of Srinagar and some other major towns of the disputed Himalayan valley.
Reports indicated that Indian troops, in full riot gear, erected iron barricades and laid concertina wire in parts of the region to prevent any protests.
Police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled largely deserted streets in Srinagar and elsewhere across the Muslim-majority region.
Low-speed mobile internet, which was restored last month, was also shut down as a precautionary measure.
The strike was called by the pro-independence groups that oppose New Delhi’s rule over the troubled valley.
On Thursday, the pro-independence separatist Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) called for strikes on Feb. 9 and Feb. 11 to observe the anniversary of the death of Afzal Guru, and then that of its founder Maqbool Bhat.
On Feb. 9, 2013, Afzal Guru, who was a Kashmiri man, was secretly executed at an Indian jail after being convicted of involvement in a 2001 attack on Indian Parliament.
JKLF’s founder, Bhat was hanged in New Delhi's Tihar jail on Feb. 11, 1984, following his conviction for the killing of a police official.
The JKLF was banned by India last year as part of a massive clampdown on pro-independence movements in Kashmir. Its offices were closed and main leaders, including its chairman Yasin Malik were detained.
According to Press TV, Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since partition in 1947. Both countries claim all of Kashmir and have fought three wars over the territory.
Tensions in Kashmir have been especially high over the last year.
Last August, the administration of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a surprise executive decree to strip the Indian portion of the Muslim-majority region of its special autonomy status. Modi has claimed that the decision was necessary for Kashmir’s economic development and would stop “terrorism.”
India’s decision in Kashmir has sparked protests from the local population and outrage from Pakistan.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting pro-independence fighters, an allegation the Pakistani government denies. Islamabad is critical of India’s heavy military deployment to Kashmir and its crackdown on the region’s Muslim population.
847/940