Shutdown in Kashmir to mark Maqbool Bhat’s 37th death anniversary

Srinagar: Normal life was affected in Kashmir due to a shutdown on Thursday to mark the 37th death anniversary of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat who was hanged in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984, PTI reported, quoting officials.

Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in Srinagar while public transport was largely off the roads, the report said.

However, private cars, auto-rickshaws and cabs were plying in the city.

Similar reports of shutdown were also received from other district headquarters of the valley.

Government forces were deployed in strength at vulnerable places in the city and elsewhere in the Valley to avoid any untoward incident, the officials added.

JKLF and Tehreek-i-Hurriyat patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani had last week called for a complete strike on February 9 and 11 to mark the death anniversaries of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, and Maqbool Bhat.

Posters, purportedly issued by Hurriyat Conference, were also pasted in some areas of the city, calling for a shutdown on Tuesday and Thursday.

However, the officials said the authenticity of the posters could not be verified.

While Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail on February 9, 2013, Bhat was hanged on February 11 in 1984. Both are buried inside the jail premises.