Even as four Army bunkers had been removed by the authorities from Handwara on Tuesday on public demand, there was no hustle in the markets today as the twin towns (Kupwara and Handwara) are still in mourning.
Life returned to normalcy in Handwara and Kupwara today even as authorities had deployed forces in large numbers to thwart any possible protest demonstrations.
The markets were open but the public movement was abysmally low. The traffic plied thin.
Even as four Army bunkers had been removed by the authorities from Handwara on Tuesday on public demand, there was no hustle in the markets today as the twin towns (Kupwara and Handwara) are still in mourning.
Five civilians including a 54-year-old woman had been killed and dozens others injured in Army and Police firing last week after protests broke out against the alleged molestation of a schoolgirl by a Rashtriya Rifles solider in Handwara last Tuesday.
The killings caused widespread outrage across Kashmir.
Witnesses said that in Handwara, heightened security presence had turned the town into a garrison with main roads witnessing thin vehicular movement. In the town armoured police vehicles were spotted at scores of places and hundreds of cops were deployed to tackle any situation.
In HandwaraChowk, where Rashtriya Rifles Watchtower – cum- Bunker was dismantled on Tuesday, police had kept a mobile bunker and dozens of cops were guarding it around.
The town witnessed less movement of commuters. Schools and government offices also opened, however recorded thin attendance.
“There is seething anger among populace in Handwara. If you see the markets, they are deserted, people are purchasing essentials only as they are apprehensive about the situation,” said Mujeeb Ahmad, a Handwara resident.
He said that presence of police and paramilitary forces in large numbers in every nook and corner of the town “has also kept the people indoors.”
“In fact most of the parents made their wards skip schools fearing outbreak of protests or any untoward incident,” he added.
Contingents of police and CRPF were deployed outside schools and colleges to thwart any protest demonstrations.
“Despite the shops being open, there is hardly any footfall as most of the people are yet to come out of the shock of losing five innocent souls to the Army bullets,” said Muhammad Ayoub, a shopkeeper.
Meanwhile, normalcy returned to other areas such as Langate, Kralgund and Trehgam. Reports reaching from these areas said that shops, business establishments and government offices functioned normally.
“It was all normal today in entire Kupwara district,” District Magistrate, Kupwara, Kumar Rajiv Ranjan, told Greater Kashmir.
