Indian authorities tightened restrictions before Friday prayers in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-occupied Kashmir, after posters distributed at mosques called for a protest march towards a United Nations office.
Earlier on Friday, Hurriyat leaders urged Kashmiris in the occupied valley to defy a curfew and join the mass march against New Delhi’s move to revoke the region’s autonomy.
On Friday, authorities re-imposed restrictions that have been eased in some areas, with paramilitary troops deployed to prevent any possible protests and roads sealed with coiled razor wires and steel barricades.
Access to the office of the UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), based in Srinagar’s Sonwar locality and a focal point for many anti-India marches over the past three decades, was also blocked.
Security forces used tear gas against stone-throwing local residents in Indian Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar on Friday, after a third straight week of protests in the restive Soura district despite the imposition of tight restrictions.
Curfew and communication blackout entered its 20th day in the occupied valley today with empty streets and thousands of Indian troops patrolling them.
The curfew and lockdown has led to protests in the valley with thousands of Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders placed under house arrest or detained.
Schools in the valley continue to give an empty look as parents refuse to risk the lives of their children.
As a result of the strict curfew and communication blockade, a humanitarian crisis is fast unfolding as residents of occupied Kashmir face severe shortages of essential commodities including baby food and life-saving medicines.
