Curfew lifted from parts of Kashmir Valley

Curfew has been lifted from Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Awantipora towns in south Kashmir and Handwara town in north Kashmir, a police spokesman said. While curfew has been lifted from Budgam district in central Kashmir, restrictions under Section 144 CrPC, which prohibits assembly of four or more persons, continue to remain in place in the district, he said.

The spokesman said curfew has been eased from South, East and West Zones of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir from 11 am to 3 pm while it will be relaxed from 1 pm to 5 pm in North and Hazratbal zones of the city.

The spokesman said there were no reports of any major incident from any part of the Valley so far. Although authorities had lifted the curfew from Srinagar city on Saturday, the curbs were re-imposed in the wee hours of Sunday, following some stone pelting incidents at Habba Kadal and Solina area of the city.

The spokesman said curfew restrictions in Kralpora and Trehgam areas of Kupwara in north Kashmir have been relaxed from 10:30 am to 2 pm. Curfew has been relaxed in Sopore town of north Kashmir's Baramulla district also in a phased manner, he added.

A youth was injured in Sopore town on Saturday night when security forces hurled tear smoke shells and fired in the air to disperse a stone pelting mob in Maharajpora area of the north Kashmir town, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has issued a fresh 10-day protest calendar, calling for strikes and protests from September 27 to October 6, exempting September 29, October 1 and October 4.

Curfew was imposed in Srinagar city on September 12 and was extended to the entire Kashmir Valley the next day, following widespread violence.

Kashmir Valley has been in the grip of violent protests since June 11 when a teenager was killed after he was hit by a tear smoke shell during clashes at Rajouri Kadal in interior city.