Hurriyat strike call paralyses Kashmir

Normal life in Kashmir Valley was disrupted on Wednesday due to a strike call given by hardline Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani to protest against the custodial death of a youth in Sopore town.

Schools, shops, business establishments, private offices and banks remained closed in most pasts of the Valley due to the strike, officials said.

Sopore and other adjoining areas observed a complete shutdown as roads wore a deserted look in the apple town, 55 km from Srinagar.

Public transport services were also crippled across Kashmir. However, mini-buses could be seen plying on some routes in the outskirts of the summer capital, they said.

Attendance in government offices also remained thin due to non-availability of transport facilities, they added.

Geelani had called for a shutdown to protest against the death of Nazim Rashid alias Anjum in police custody at Sopore on July 31.

Government has suspended three policemen, attached a Deputy SP and transferred the SP Sopore as part of investigations into the death of the 28-year-old youth.