Curfew relaxed for night for prayers, Srinagar tense
Authorities in Indian administered Kashmir relaxed curfew Friday night
for the Muslim festival ‘Shabi Mehraj’ but the region continued to be
tense.
People thronged to mosques for the night of prayers, but protests also
erupted at some places as soon as the restrictions were lifted.
At least one person was injured when police fired teargas on
protestors in Nowhatta locality of Srinagar. Earlier in the day one
person was injured when police and paramilitary fired on protestors in
northern town Baramulla.
Newspapers failed to hit the stands for second day, and editors
suspended publications for third day too in protest.
Editors and journalist bodies of Kashmir protested the state decision
of providing curfew passes to few “accredited journalists” and editors
today, as they said it wont suffice to their needs.
Only a small percentage of working journalists, mostly reporters and
correspondents, in Kashmir are accredited.
A joint statement of five journalist bodies, Kashmir Press Association
Ghulam Hassan Kaloo, Press Guild of Kashmir, Kashmir Journalists
Corps, Kashmir Press Photographers Association, Kashmir Video
Journalists Association S. Tariq termed the government announcement of
providing passes as mere eye wash to counter the condemnation from
journalist bodies at the national and international levels.
Riyaz Masroo, a reporter with the BBC was beaten severely by police
today when he came out of his to collect a curfew pass from the state
Information department.
Kashmir journalists were also condemned that while the local reporters
were treated harshly, journalists flying in from outside were provided
all the facilities.
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