Srinagar: A call for strike was called by the Kashmiri separatists on Monday leading to the closure of Businesses, schools and colleges in the Kashmir valley. The strike was called due to the toll from the gunfights reached a total of 20 persons.

There was a curfew like restrictions in place by the authorities in some regions of Srinagar and south Kashmir. Along with that there were strict internet restrictions imposed in the valley.

There are more disruptions in store with the call for strike by the separatist leadership for a shutdown on Tuesday also and a slogan of ‘Shopian Chalo’ the next day.

The ensuing gunfights killed 12 militants, three soldiers and another four civilians. As per the reports, over 70 people were injured due to the clashes with security forces at two encounter sites.

Another body of the fifth gunman was pulled by the locals from the rubble of a house in Kachdoora on Monday. “The body of Sameer was taken out by the locals from the debris and handed over to his family,” a police spokesman said, adding all the five men were from the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. Another three soldiers were also killed in Kachdoora.

In a similar gunfight in Shopian district, seven militants were killed in Dragad. In Anantnag’s Dialgam area, a militant was killed after he did not heed to repeated requests by his family and forces to surrender and opened fire. His accomplice however agreed to give himself up.

The same protests will continue on April 3 and 4, the entire “resistance” and Hurriyat leadership will move itself towards Shopian to express solidarity with the people and offer condolences to the bereaved families who lost their near ones, Hurriyat Conference leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik said in a statement.

Earlier, Geelani, Farooq and Ashraf Sehrai were confined to house arrest while the leader Malik was detained.

Yesterday, the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen was given a severe blow by the security forces on Sunday. The militant group mostly draws cadre from the Kashmir Valley. A total of six of its cadres were killed in a counter-insugency operation conducted by the security agencies in Dragged village of Shopian district in south Kashmir.

According to the Indian security forces, about 13 militants were killed by them on Sunday relating to three separate encounters.

One of the three encounters took place at Brunty Dialgam in Anatnag district in the Saturday night. A joint team comprising the police, army and CRPF personnel had launched a cordon there, said Altaf Ahmad Khan, Superintendent of Police, Anantnag.

There is a large-scale conflict between the civilians supporting the militants, separatists and security forces.

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