Srinagar 04Sep; The administration relaxed curbs on public movement and started restoring mobile connectivity in parts of the Kashmir Valley on Saturday in a partial easing of the restrictions put in place after the death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Traffic barricades remained on the roads, but motorists were allowed to proceed after their credentials were checked by security forces in the old city of Srinagar, witnesses said. More traffic was also visible in the civil line areas, with the police and paramilitary forces keeping a close watch on areas deemed to be sensitive.Deployment of security forces continued in vulnerable areas to maintain law and order, the officials said.Health worker Naveed Ahmad told he had to navigate barricades on Saturday to get to his hospital.”I was stopped at around a dozen places in old city however traffic was plying normally in civil line areas,” he said In anticipation of mass protests, authorities in Kashmir snapped landline phones and all other telecom services, while a team of security personnel was rushed to Geelani’s residence when the news of his death came in, sources said. “He was buried in a local graveyard near our residence. They asked us to bury him immediately. We requested them to let our other family members come and see his face. But they snatched the body,” a family member said.Authorities reviewed the situation after the Friday prayers yesterday as no major untoward incident was reported from anywhere.It was decided that the imposed restrictions would be relaxed in a phased manner.The police spokesperson said IGP, Kashmir Vijay Kumar appreciated the cooperation of the public in maintaining the peaceful situation throughout Kashmir, “which defeated the ill designs of the inimical elements that are hell-bent on disturbing the otherwise peaceful atmosphere in the valley”.Meanwhile, all exams scheduled for September 4th and 5th have been postponed by the University of Kashmir and the board of secondary school examinations.Officials, however, said that the UPSC’s EPFO/AO exam would be held as per schedule on September 5.(CNS)
