Protests, clashes erupt across Valley; polling station set ablaze in Shopian
Internet service remains suspended; rail service suspended again
Srinagar: A complete shutdown is being observed across Kashmir against the killing of eight civilians during clashes in Budgam and Ganderbal districts yesterday.
Eight protesters were killed when the security forces opened fire during the voting process in the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary by-poll on Sunday.
Of these, seven were killed in Budgam and one died in Ganderbal district.
Crowds attacked the polling stations, damaging the EVMs and ransacking the polling stations, at nearly 100 places in Budgam.
The resistance camp has called a two-day shutdown and protest against Sunday’s civilian killings.
Markets, public transports, education institutions and other businesses remained closed here and other places in the valley.
The Kashmir University has postponed all examinations scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shant Manu on Sunday said re-poll would be held at 50 to 100 polling stations where violence had resulted in the disruption of polling process.
Around seven per cent votes were polled during Sunday’s by-poll which marked the lowest voter turnout in the last 27 years.
The CEO has said that the next phase of the by-poll would be held on schedule on April 12 in south Kashmir’s Anantnag parliamentary constituency.
Meanwhile, to check the spread of rumours, authorities have decided to suspend the Internet facility in the entire valley till April 12. ) Internet service of all cellular companies, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Broadband, remained suspended for the second day today, badly affecting media personal and professionals besides students in the Kashmir valley.
The internet service was suspended since the intervening night of April 8 and April 9 in the valley, where eight people were killed and about 20 others wounded in security force and police action yesterday when polling was held in Srinagar constituency.
More than 100 paramilitary forces and police personnel were also injured in the day long clashes in the constituency, spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, consisting of 15 assembly segments. To prevent spread of any rumour on social media during polling, authorities suspended internet in the entire valley. However, suspension of the facility has led to spreading of more rumours, leading to more protests and clashes.
Interestingly the broadband internet service of a private operated CNS, which is mostly used by media organizations, was also suspended, forcing media persons, working with national and international organizations, to file their stories about Kashmir situation over the phone. Due to suspension of internet service, media organisation, including UNI and majority of national and international newspapers and other organizations, have been hit badly.
Ban on internet has also hit professionals and students, besides doctors. “I work for an international company as a freelancer and now that the internet is not working I will not be able to meet the deadlines set for my projects. This is not the first time that it happened. In the unrest in 2016, internet was suspended for over five months during which I was forced to relocate to Delhi. I guess, I will have to move out permanently, if the government keeps suspended internet services,” a worried Irfan Saleem, who works for an MNC as a freelance, told UNI. The gag on internet has been criticized by all sections of society, including politicians and academics.
Hitting out at government over suspension of mobile and broadband internet services in valley, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said it shows how bad things have become in the last couple of years.
“Don’t remember this happening in previous elections. Just goes to show how bad things have gotten in the last couple of years,” Mr Abdullah, who is the working president of main opposition National Conference (NC), yesterday wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
Since violence hit Kashmir valley after the dead of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year, the broadband internet and mobile phone services were suspended thrice prior to this gag for around 25 days.
For around a month, the only mobile service functional in Kashmir valley was BSNL while pre-paid services of all cellular companies were restored after a span of three months on October 15 last year.
The mobile internet services for post-paid connections were restored on November 19 last year after a gag of about five months. Similarly, mobile internet services for prepaid connections were restored in Kashmir on January 27, six months after they were suspended.
Meanwhile, the telecast of news on local cable channels in the Valley remained banned since 2010, when there were massive protest during which more than 120 people, mostly youths, were killed in security force and police firing in the Valley.
The authorities had also directed bureaucrats and other officers not to participate in any political debate on local cable channels. Rail service has again been suspended for security reasons in the Kashmir valley, where separatists have called for general strike today in protest against the killing of eight civilians in security force and police action yesterday when violence erupted during polling in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency. “We have suspended all train service between Srinagar-Badgam and Baramulla in north Kashmir,” a railway official told UNI. A polling station was set ablaze by unidentified persons late last night in south Kashmir district of Shopian, official sources said here today.
They said unidentified persons set on fire a polling station at Government Upper Primary School Paderpora in Shopian late last night.
Fire tenders from different parts of the district were rushed to douse of the fire, clearly visible from a distance.
However, before the fire was doused off with the help of locals, three room of the school building was damaged.
Police have registered a case and initiated investigation to identify the accused responsible for the crime, they added.
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