Srinagar: India further eased movement restrictions in Kashmir’s main city Srinagar on Tuesday, even as large swathes of the historically-restive old quarter remained locked down to curb protests over New Delhi’s move to strip the region of its autonomy.
Small groups of armed soldiers, many kitted out in full riot gear, were positioned every few metres in the old quarter, and all stores other than a handful of pharmacies were closed. Even in areas where restrictions have been eased, most shops remained closed.
In Soura, a densely populated enclave in Srinagar that has been a hotbed of protests since August 5, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the special rights granted to Jammu and Kashmir, locals have built a series of makeshift barricades to keep security forces out.
Many of these have been cobbled together with felled light poles or trees, reinforced with barbed wire and wooden planks, where locals said they were keeping watch every night.
Local officials said on Tuesday security forces had detained 30 people overnight in Srinagar, in a bid to control protests.
Crowds have demonstrated frequently in the city despite a severe clamp-down on phone and internet services, and a ban on public gatherings and the detentions of hundreds of political leaders and separatists who have campaigned for secession from India.
Youths have pelted stones at paramilitary police deployed in Srinagar, and the latest detentions took place in parts of the city where such incidents have occurred, a police officer said.
A neighbourhood street is blocked with tree branches by Kashmiri protesters during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, August 19, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Danish Ismail
Kashmiri men sit in front of the closed shops painted with graffiti during restrictions after scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Kashmiri women walk past concertina wire laid across a road during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Kashmiri women walk past concertina wire laid across a road during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Indian security force personnel stand guard on a deserted road during restrictions after scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Indian security force personnel patrol past a Kashmiri woman in a deserted street during restrictions after scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
A Kashmiri man drinks tea as he sits outside closed shops during restrictions after scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
A Kashmiri family walks past a blockade put up by residents to prevent Indian security force personnel from entering their neighborhood during restrictions, after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 20, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
A Kashmiri masked protester stands near a barricade to block the entrance of a neighbourhood, during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, August 19, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Danish Ismail
(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal and Fayaz Bukhari. Photographs by Danish Ismail and Adnan Abidi.)