SRINAGAR: Protestors in Indian-administered Kashmir set fire to two government buildings overnight in trouble-hit towns of the disputed region amid isolated skirmishes with security forces, police said.
Residents also began to complain they were running low on food as thousands of heavily armed police imposed a strict curfew for the fourth day that has prevented anyone from leaving their homes.
“The situation during the last night remained peaceful barring a couple of incidents of arson in Sopore and Handwara,” a police statement said, referring to two northern towns.
In Handwara, hundreds of protesters chanting, “Down With India!” and “Allah Is Great!” torched a municipal committee office, while in Sopore protesters attacked and tried to set fire to a revenue office, causing some damage.
Thousands of Indian police and paramilitaries patrolled streets of Kashmir Wednesday to enforce the curfew, which was first imposed on Sunday during serious clashes and arson attacks in the main town of Srinagar.
“The curfew has been in force for more than 72 hours now and we have no milk or bread left,” one housewife, Shaheen Amin, told AFP.
Ajaz Rasool, a retired government official, criticised the government for not relaxing the restrictions.
“You can't starve the entire population. They are trying to give us collective punishment,” he said from a besieged downtown locality.
The round-the-clock indefinite curfew is in force across all the towns and sensitive roadside villages in the valley.
No comments:
Post a Comment