Srinagar: Authorities enforced strict curfew like restrictions throughout the Kashmir Valley Monday to thwart a shutdown call by separatists protesting the landing of the Indian Army here this day in 1947.
Senior separatist leader and chief of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who had announced that he would lead a protest outside the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observers' Group (UNMOG) in Srinagar, was under house arrest. So was Mian Qayoom, president of the local bar association.
Traffic was completely off the roads in this summer capital and markets, banks, educational institutions and government offices were closed.
Reports from all other district headquarters of the valley also indicated strict curfew like restrictions by the authorities to prevent violence.
There were reports of sporadic violence.
Small groups of youths pelted stones at police and paramilitary troops in Karan Nagar locality of Srinagar city.
Incidents of stone pelting on deployed security men have also come in from north Kashmir's apple-rich town of Sopore.
"The situation is completely under control. Barring stray incidents of stone pelting by some youth at a few places, the overall law and order situation is peaceful here," a senior police officer here said.
On October 26, 1947, two months after independence on Aug 15, Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession to India following which Indian troops arrived to take control of the area.
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