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SRINAGAR: A partial to complete shutdown is being observed in Kashmir valley against the "murderous assault" on Kashmiri truckers, allegedly by Hindu right-wing activists, in Udhampur district of Jammu region.
Two prominent representatives of trade bodies in Kashmir - Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Forum (KTMF) and Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) - have called for a shutdown to protest the assault on two youths, whose truck was set afire by a mob in Shakti Nagar area of Jammu Friday night.
Veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani and JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who called for a shutdown today against the attack, have been put under house-arrest while moderate Hurriyat chief and Kashmir's chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who backed the traders' call has also been detained at his Srinagar residence.
Fearing protests, the state government has deployed additional forces in sensitive towns, including the summer capital Srinagar where police and paramilitary forces wearing riot-gear are patrolling roads in many areas of Old City.
A senior J&K Police official said barricades have been placed on the arterial roads connecting Srinagar with other parts of the state, where cars are being checked to prevent any untoward incident, "We are not taking any chances. Additional forces have been deployed in Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Pulwama, Shopian and other sensitive places," the officer said.
Three persons, including a policemen, were injured when a petrol bomb was hurled at a stationary truck on Friday night by suspected right-wing activists near Shakti Nagar area of Udhampur.
Traffic was halted on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in view of the day-long strike called by various Hindu outfits following recovery of three carcasses of cows in the district when the attack took place.
"Zahid Ahmad, 19, and Showkat Ahmad, 35, received serious burn injuries in the incident. They were referred to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu from where they were airlifted to AIIMS," Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Muneer-ul-Islam, said.
He said the State government has arranged air-tickets for four family members of the victims along with monetary assistance and free accommodation at the Kashmir House.
Deputy commissioner of Udhampur, Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary said six accused persons has been booked and an FIR (No 368/2015) under sections 307/336/436/147/148/120-B/427 RPC and 3/5 of Explosives Substances Act has been lodged against them. The government is also mulling invoking Public Safety Act against them.
