Curfew lifted from Valley; Life back to normal in Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 4 (PTI) The situation in north India's
Kashmir Valley returned to normal Monday after authorities
lifted curfew and hardline Hurriyat Conference exempted the
day from protests.
People in Srinagar city resumed their day-to-day
activities as shops, banks and educational institutions
remained open and traffic plied normal.
"The situation in Srinagar and other major towns of
the Valley remained peaceful. Curfew was lifted from almost
the entire valley," a police spokesman said.
However, he said restrictions under Section 144 of the
CrPC, which prohibits assembly of four or more persons at
public places, remained in force in Palahalan and Delina areas
of Baramulla district in north Kashmir as a precautionary
measure.
Earlier, Hardline Hurriyat Conference exempted the day
from protests as people resumed their day-to-day activities.
In Srinagar, shops, private businesses and government
offices remained open. Private and public transport was also
plying normal on all city and inter-district routes.
Massive traffic jams were witnessed in Batamaloo and
Lal Chowk areas of the city, which are transit areas for north
and south Kashmir.
There was a marked improvement in attendance of
students in educational institutions, including the University
of Kashmir and associated colleges, as compared to previous
days.
Banks across the Valley also witnessed huge rush while
serpentine queues could be seen outside ATMs as people
prepared themselves for more shutdowns.
Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani,
which is spearheading the ongoing agitation in the Valley, is
likely to announce fresh protest calendar tomorrow.
More than 100 civilians have been killed in the
four-month unrest in the Valley, which began with the killing
of a 17-year-old boy at Rajouri Kadal area of the interior
city after he was allegedly hit by a tear smoke cannister
fired by police on June 11.