Life across Kashmir was paralyzed on Monday by a shutdown called by the hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Monday's strike was called by Geelani to protest against the alleged damage and destruction of residential houses in north Kashmir's Sopore town by security forces during the last weeks fierce gunfight in which four army troopers and two militants were killed.
Shops, businesses, government offices are shut in summer capital Srinagar and other valley towns while the public transport is off the roads. However, skeletal private transport was seen plying on the roads in the civil lines area of the capital city. Authorities have made heavy deployments of police and paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force in the old city areas of the capital city to maintain law and order.
Security is also tight in other valley towns where Monday's strike also hit life. A senior police officer said adequate security deployments have been made in sensitive areas of the city, but denied there were any restrictions imposed on pedestrian or vehicular movement in the downtown areas.