India to bring in food supplies to Kashmir as curfew remains ahead of Eid

New Delhi: Authorities enforcing a strict curfew in Kashmir will bring in trucks of essential supplies for Eid Al Adha next week, as the region remained in a lockdown following India’s decision to strip it of its constitutional autonomy.

The indefinite 24-hour curfew was briefly eased on Friday for weekly Muslim prayers in some parts of Srinagar, the region’s main city, but thousands of residents are still forced to stay indoors with shops and most health clinics closed. All communications and the internet remain cut off.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as the state is known, that normality would gradually return and that the government was ensuring that the current restrictions do not dampen Eid Al Adha today.

The relaxing of the curfew in Srinagar was temporary, officials said. Friday prayers began at 12:37pm and lasted for about 20 minutes, followed by protests in some parts of the city. Police used tear gas and pellets to fight back the protesters who gathered in their largest numbers since authorities clamped down and detained more than 500 political and separatist leaders.

Other stone-throwing incidents were reported from the northern and southern parts of Kashmir.