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Srinagar shuts down ahead of polls today

Streets in Srinagar were deserted yesterday and shops and offices closed as authorities imposed restrictions in response to separatists calling for peaceful protests against the ongoing state elections.

  • IANS
  • Published: 00:20 December 13, 2008
  • Gulf News

Srinagar: Streets in Srinagar were deserted yesterday and shops and offices closed as authorities imposed restrictions in response to separatists calling for peaceful protests against the ongoing state elections.

The joint coordination committee of both the separatist Hurriyat groups issued a statement calling for businesses to be shut down and peaceful demonstrations after the Friday prayers.

The separatist groups also appealed to the people to march to the south Kashmir district headquarters of Pulwama and Shopian where voting for the fifth phase of elections will be held today.

House arrest

Leaders of both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, were placed under house arrest to prevent their participation in the proposed separatist protests yesterday and today.

Traffic remained off the roads as businesses, shops, educational institutions and banks closed following strict restrictions imposed by the authorities.

"These are preventive restrictions to ensure that miscreants do not disturb peace in the city," a senior police officer said here.

Similar reports came in from other parts of the Kashmir Valley.

Six south Kashmir constituencies of Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Wachi and Shopian go to vote today.

"All arrangements of security, poll staff, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and sanitisation of areas around polling stations are in place for tomorrow's polling," a poll official told IANS here.

In the first four rounds of the seven phased elections that end December 24, voter turnout has been around 60 per cent.

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