Eid in Kashmir: Clashes in parts of Valley, two scribes hurt as Geelani under house arrest

On the occasion of the Eid festival on Friday, parts of Kashmir saw clashes between stone-pelting mobs and security forces in which two journalists were injured even as even as authorities placed separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest.

Clashes were reported from Eidgah, Rajouri Kadal and some other areas of old Srinagar city and a few places in Anantnag district, a police officer said.

Soon after Eid prayers, mobs started pelting stones at police and paramilitary forces in several areas of Srinagar, the officer said.

Flags of Pakistan and militant group Al-Jehad were also waved by some youth in some areas of old Srinagar, he said.

Security forces used tear smoke shells to disperse the mobs, the officer said, adding two journalists were injured in clashes at Eidgah. In rest of the Valley, the festival was celebrated peacefully against the backdrop of raging controversy over recent High Court order for implementation of an old law that bans slaughter and sale of beef.

Internet services were snapped since this morning till tomorrow night as authorities apprehended misuse of social media to create communal tension over the beef ban. The authorities also placed most of the separatist leaders, including the heads of both factions of Hurriyat conference, under house arrest.

Geelani, Farooq, Yasin Malik, Sabhir Shah and many other separatist leaders were put under house arrest in view of the apprehension of law and order problem, police said. Some separatist groups had said they would defy the court order even though Geelani had appealed that religious sentiments of any community should not be hurt intentionally, in an apparent reference to Hindus whose sentiments are attached to the cow.

"When, on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Azha... we will be sacrificing animals, it will not be to hurt any particular community or tribe, but it is our religious obligation which is in practice from long ago and we will continue to practice it in future too," the hardline separatist leader had said.

"We should adopt a dignified approach for this dignified religious obligation... The aim of these sacrifices... should not be to intentionally hurt the sentiments of any community," he had said. 

Geelani had said that "communal brotherhood" should be maintained "at any cost" in the state.

Eid was celebrated with gaiety in Jammu region also with members of other communities exchanging greetings with Muslims on the occasion. Muslims in Jammu region thronged mosques to offer Eid prayers with main congregation taking place at the Eidgah in Khati Ka Tala and Narwal in the city.

Religious scholars also gave sermons on this day telling people about the importance of the day. Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements were made across Jammu to thwart any untoward incident.

"Elaborate security arrangements are kept in place to ward off anti-social elements who can vitiate the atmosphere of festivity," a police officer said. However, the suspension of Internet services added a sour note with people complaining about the measure.

People used to connect with their friends and relatives in other parts of the country and abroad via social media platforms like WhatsApp and Skype were critical of the measure. The problem was accentuated in the wake of the tragedy in Mina yesterday in which over 700 people were killed in a stampede, a youth Aaishan Ahmed said here.

"Our relatives and friends are there and we are worried after the stampede yesterday. We also needed to get in touch with them on the occasion of Eid and we would normally talk to them using different applications on the internet. The ban has made it difficult," he said.

The termination of the internet services caused difficulties specially for journalists and other professionals and their work has been affected. "I needed to send photographs of Eid celebration and the clashes that took place in Kashmir. How do I send them in the absence of any internet services here," a photojournalist, working with a national newspaper, said.

He said the people of Kashmir were accustomed to a ban on the mobile and internet services on days like Republic Day and Independence Day but totally banning them on a festival was "unheard of".

"We have seen how authorities clamp down on the services on January 26 and August 15. But even then broadband services of BSNL used to work but today nothing is working and we are facing immense hardship on account of no services and that too on an occasion like Eid. This is something unheard of in any part of the world," he said.

Police said it is monitoring the situation continuously and no decision has been taken so far to remove the ban. "No decision has been taken yet. However, we are monitoring the situation and will act accordingly," a senior police officer said.