A complete shutdown was observed on Monday across the Valley and parts of Chenab valley in response to the call given by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) against the killing of militants and civilians at the hands of government forces.Reports reaching news gathering agency Global News Service said that shops, business establishments, educational institutions, banks and fuel stations remained closed in Srinagar and other major towns of the Valley in wake of the call given by JRL against the killing of militants and civilians by the government forces in the south Kashmir, which JRL says has been converted into a ‘battlefield’.The shutdown also affected routine work in the government run offices as many employees faced difficulties in reaching their respective offices due to non-availability of public transport. Skeletal traffic, witnesses said plied on otherwise busy roads and highways of the summer capital.
In Srinagar, the capital city, alert CRPF troopers and policemen carrying riot gear, guarded the deserted streets, witnesses said. At some places, government forces had blocked roads and crossings with razor wire and wooden logs to restrict the movement of people.Government forces were also keeping a watch on movement of people in uptown Maisuma, considered to be the stronghold of senior JRL leader and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation (JKLF) Chief Mohammad Yasin Malik.In Safa Kadal, government forces lobbed a few tear gas canisters when some youth pelted rocks on the deployments that were returning to their camps after daylong duty, witnesses told GNS.Reports of the shutdown have also been received from other major towns and districts of south, central and north Kashmir, where shops, commercial establishments, schools and colleges remained closed in view of the shutdown call.Normal life was also paralyzed in Chenab valley due to the shutdown called by JRL leaders.Meanwhile, a police official told GNS that the day passed off peacefully and no major untoward incident was reported from any part of the Valley.