1. Home
2. Top Stories

Kokernag, Soura areas shut over Militants’ killings for second day

ESS AHMAD. Dated: 3/13/2018 11:58:56 PM

Schools reopen for children in south Kashmir after nearly 3 months, Shopian resumes business

SRINAGAR, Mar 13: While rest of the Anantnag district resumed routine business after a shutdown and protests on Monday over the killing of three militants in a brief shootout by the forces, Kokernag and its peripheries remained shut for the second running on Tuesday over the killings.
Three militants, two of whom were identified as Esa Fazili from Soura Srinagar and Syed Owais from Larnoo Kokernag, were killed in a brief gunfight with government at Hakoora village of Anantnag Sunday night. Both the slain had completed engineering from Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU), Rajouri last year. The identity of their third associate, however, is yet to be established. The killings had triggered shutdown and protests in Anantnag and Srinagar on Monday with thousands of people joining the funeral of the slain duo.
However, barring Kokernag areas and Soura and its peripheries, rest of the districts witnessed normal business. Local sources from Kokernag area said that all the shops, other business establishments remained closed in Larnoo, Kokernag, Sagam, Magam, Hillar and other areas of the Tehsil while as traffic also remained off the roads in the area. Reports of shutdown were also received from Soura, Ahmad Nagar and Anchar and some Gandarbal areas over the killing of Esa Fazili.
Clashes occurred between protestors and security forces at Gandhi Memorial College in Srinagar.
Meanwhile educational institutions in south Kashmir reopened for the students after nearly three months. Though the schools were supposed to open for the students on March 5 last but following the civilian killings by the army in Shopian last week government fearing protests by the students had ordered the closure of all the educational institutions.
Following the announcement by the authorities late last evening that the school and colleges will remain open on Tuesday both school and college going students made it to their respective institutions. School buses were seen ferrying the kids to their respective schools on all the roads in Anantnag. Several videos where in teachers of government schools were seen welcoming the students were circulated on social networking site. In one such video teachers were seen distributing sweets among the students.
Meanwhile, Shopian town resumed business on Tuesday after a long week shutdown over the civilian killings in Pahnoo village last Sunday.
However, reports said that some unidentified persons hurled a petrol bomb near busy Gole Market in the town in the afternoon creating panic in the locality. The petrol bomb, sources said, however, caused no damage.