SRINAGAR, FEB 09 (PTK): A complete shutdown was observed in Kashmir to mark the sixth death anniversary of Muhammad Afzal Guru.
Business and other activities were paralysed and traffic was off the roads in major towns and tehsil headquarters in the Kashmir valley, where authorities have imposed restrictions in the downtown Srinagar and parts of civil lines and old city today.
Meanwhile all the shops, coaching institutions and other business establishments are also closed in parts of the district especially Baramulla and Sopore town while as public transport was off the roads.
Despite restrictions, people from all walks of the life including some Hurriyat leaders were seen marching towards the residence of Afzal Guru in Jageer village of Sopore to offer condolences and demand his mortal remains. A member of Guru family said that army had put barricades since Friday evening to stop people from visiting the family.
Special prayers are being held at Jageer the native village of Afzal Guru since Saturday morning.
The government had made heavy deployments of police and paramilitary forces at many places in Srinagar and other districts.
Guru’s body was buried within the premises of Tihar jail where he spent 12 years in solitary confinement.
While Geelani continues to remain under house detention for the past ten years, the government Friday evening placed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest at his residence in Nigeen.
However train services remained suspended in Kashmir in view of shutdown call issued by the JRL on the 6th death anniversary of Afzal Guru.
“We have received an advisory on Friday night to suspend train service as a precautionary measure in the Kashmir valley”.
However three leaders of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) were also detained by police from their houses in Srinagar.
Noor Muhammad Kalwal, Showkat Bakshi and Mohd Saleem Nanaji were detained by the police from their homes in Elahibagh, Bemina and Natipora respectively.
The leaders were detained to prevent them from leading any protests against the hanging of Afzal Guru on his sixth death anniversary.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a tweet said: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq As Martyrdom anniversaries of #ShaheedAfzalGuru and #ShaheedMaqboolBhat are being observed on 9th and 11 feb authorities have started crackdown on resistance leaders and activists, I have been just put placed under #HouseArrest.
In another tweet, Mirwaiz said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Kashmir today remembers and pays rich tributes to #ShaheedAfzalGuru on his 6th martyrdom anniversary. Hanged and buried in secrecy in #TiharJail against all norms of justice and humanity to “satisfy the collective conscience of a state”!
Afzal Guru was hanged on 9 February 2013 at 8 am early morning in Tihar Jial.
Guru born in Du Aabgah village near Sopore town in the Baramulla district in 1969 to the family of Habibullah. Habibullah ran a timber and transport business, and died when Guru was a child.
Afzal Guru completed his schooling from Government School, Sopore and passed the matriculation exam in 1986.
He subsequently enrolled in the Jhelum valley medical college. He had completed the first year of his MBBS course and was preparing for competitive exams when he began to participate in other activities. (PTK)
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