Bandh cripples life in Srinagar

Normal life was crippled in Srinagar on Saturday by a protest shutdown called by the senior hard-line separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Saturday's shutdown followed the Baramulla march call given by Geelani on Friday over the recent rape and murder of two women in south Kashmir's Shopian town. Authorities had imposed strict restrictions on Friday to foil the proposed separatist march.

Over 40 persons had been injured in post Friday prayer clashes between security forces and the protesters in parts of summer capital Srinagar and south Kashmir's Shopian and north Kashmir's Baramulla towns.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse stone-throwing protestors in Baramulla town on Friday evening, injuring three youth who were evacuated to hospital for treatment.

Doctors at the medical institute in Srinagar described the condition of one Manzoor Ahmad as critical.

Public and private transport remained off the roads as markets, state government offices, educational institutions and banks remained closed.

The separatist shutdown coincides with the arrival of the Vice President Hamid Ansari who delivered the convocational address at the 17th convocation of Kashmir University on Saturday. Ansari is in Jammu and Kashmir on a two-day visit.