Shutdown in many parts of Kashmir on Burhan Wani’s death anniversary

PTI, Jul 8, 2020, 5:27 PM IST

Srinagar: Many parts of Kashmir on Wednesday observed a shutdown to mark the fourth death anniversary of Burhan Wani, the poster boy of Hizbul Mujahideen shot dead by security forces on this day in 2016.

Shops and business establishments in many areas, including the city and south Kashmir districts, remained closed during the day.

The authorities snapped mobile internet services in four districts of south Kashmir as a precautionary measure, officials said.

Wani and his two associates were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district on July 8, 2016, triggering a massive summer agitation that left nearly 90 persons dead.

A statement attributed to hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, but termed fake by police, appeared on social media, calling for a shutdown on Wani’s death anniversary.

“As per the family sources of SAS Geelani, the letter is fake and not issued by him. This is published from Pakistan,” the Kashmir Zone Police said on its official Twitter handle on Tuesday.

Police also said they registered a case under section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and section 505 of the IPC in police station Budgam in this regard.

“Police is taking action against those who are circulating it (letter) through different social media platforms to instigate violence and create L&O (law and order) problems,” it added.