Policy Research Group   - Strategic Insight: Indefinite curfew imposed in major towns of Kashmir Valley

Indefinite curfew imposed in major towns of Kashmir Valley
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editor on 31 July, 2010 03:35:00
 
SRINAGAR: Indefinite curfew was clamped in all major towns of the Kashmir Valley
in the wake of protests, even as the death toll in the violent clashes between
locals and security forces rose to four.
There were also reports of sporadic protests in some parts of the Valley.
Two of the 70 people injured during protests yesterday succumbed to injuries at
a hospital this morning, a police spokesman said. The deceased have been
identified as Mohammed Rafiq and 30-year-old Mohammed Siddiqui of Baramulla
district.
Official sources that curfew has been imposed as a precautionary measure
following the protests.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in all sensitive areas and the
residents have been asked not to step out.
Curfew passes given to media persons have been cancelled, police said. This is
the second time this month that curfew passes have been cancelled. On July six,
curfew passes were cancelled when the army was deployed in the city.
Security forces yesterday opened fire to quell stone-pelting protesters who
clashed with them at several places.
The mob had also ransacked a police station in Pattan besides a special
operation group camp in the same area.
Shoukat Ahmad Chopan and Mohammad Ahsan Ganai were killed and seven others
injured yesterday when security forces opened fire on a mob at Arampora village
of Sopore, 55 kms from here in Baramulla district of north Kashmir.
People had taken to the streets shortly after Friday prayers and were heading
towards Sopore town when the security forces intercepted them and asked them to
disperse.
However, the protesters turned violent and indulged in stone-pelting on a CRPF
picket. The security personnel opened fire, resulting in injuries to seven
persons who were rushed to hospital. Chopan and Ganai succumbed to injuries at
SMHS hospital here, they said.
Seven persons were also injured when police opened fire after a group of youths
went on rampage and set ablaze a vehicle parked inside police station Pattan, 27
kms from here on Srinagar-Baramulla national highway, police said.
The clashes come nearly 10 days after a person was killed and another injured in
police firing in self-defence on a mob which turned violent during funeral of
youth who had drowned in Jhelum river in Baramulla district.
Condemning the killings, Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had said
yesterday that such incidents were contributing to an "unprecedented worsening
of situation".
PDP general secretary Mohammad Dilawar Mir, in a statement here, accused the
state administration of failing to perform its duty.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6240225.cms?prtpage=1
2 . NIA to look into Hindu terror angle in Samjhauta case
NEW DELHI: The probe into the Samjhauta Express blast case by the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) will look into the entire conspiracy behind the
attack, including links with Hindu extremist elements who were allegedly
involved in the blasts in Ajmer, Hyderabad and Malegaon.
Stating that the decision to hand over the probe to NIA was taken as the Haryana
Police was not able to make any headway in its investigations, Union home
minister P Chidambaram on Friday said: "One of the aspects that NIA will probe
is whether it has got any connection with those who were involved in Ajmer,
Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts. That is an aspect that has to be probed."
Sixty-eight people were killed when bombs were set off in two coaches of the
Samjhauta Express, running between Delhi and Lahore, around midnight on February
18, 2007 at Diwana near Panipat in Haryana.
Chidambaram, however, made it clear that it was premature to point fingers at
any organisation or individual at this stage.
"If we could do that, why would we hand it over to the NIA? Since Haryana police
has not been able to crack the case, with their consent, the case has been
handed over to the NIA," he said, adding the NIA can investigate terror related
cases and the agency has been given a number of cases ever since it was
constituted.
Besides transferring the Samjhauta blast case this month, the government has
also handed over to NIA the case relating to an attempted attack on the office
of Deloitte in Hyderabad in which a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zia-ul-Haq
was arrested as a suspect.
The investigation of the Samjhauta blast case under the Haryana Police had
presented contradictory pictures and different angles, right from involvement of
Pakistani national Asif Kasmani to the suspected role of Hindu right wing
extremist group in the blast.
Asked about the reason for not handing over other terror-related cases to the
NIA, the home minister said: "It all depends on the progress being made by the
current investigating agency. When they are unable to solve the case after a
reasonable time, then I am afraid with their consent, the alternative is to try
and ask NIA (for probe)."
He said the Mecca Masjid blast (May 18, 2007) case was already with the CBI
while the Ajmer blast (October 11, 2007) was with ATS Rajasthan and the Malegaon
blasts (September 8, 2006) was with ATS Maharashtra.
The case under Haryana Police did not make any headway after its probe had led
to a tailor at Indore who had prepared the cover for the suitcase in which the
bombs were planted. The investigators had reportedly gathered evidence that
pointed to a finger of suspicion at a Hindu extremist organisation.
The second angle came into picture when the United   States had approached the
United Nations to get Pakistani national Asif Kasmani declared an international
terrorist for his involvement in the Samjhauta blasts. Kasmani is considered to
be a link between LeT and
al-Qaida.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6238185.cms?prtpage=1