Curfew and security restrictions were re-imposed on Srinagar and most other towns of the Kashmir Valley on Friday to holdback pro-freedom rallies and street protests called by the separatists. However, at places slogan chanting crowds defied the restrictions and consequently clashed with the police and the CRPF. Nearly 50 persons were injured including a station house officer and 19 other policemen, the police and hospital sources said.
In the afternoon, chief minister Omar Abdullah rushed to New Delhi for consultations with the Central government leaders as the unrest back home refuses to subside and the seemingly obstinate separatists have announced a fresh calendar of protests and strikes for one week beginning on July 17.
Mr Abdullah could not drive to the Srinagar airport and instead re-located there in a helicopter before catching a New Delhi-bound flight as clashes between groups of protesters and the police were underway at two places along the 10-km long route from the city centre to the airport.
Though the chief minister had earlier this week said here that he would be visiting Delhi at first available opportunity to apprise the Prime Minister and other Central leaders about the ground realities in Jammu and Kashmir and seek a political settlement to end the crisis, rumours rife here suggest that the Centre is seriously discussing the possibility of effecting a political changeover in the state. Some reports suggest that one of the options available to the Centre is to replace Mr Abdullah with his father Union minister for renewable energy Dr Farooq Abdullah and that Opposition BJP is not averse to the idea either.
However, some senior Congress leaders are deadly opposed to any change in the leadership at this stage and have opined that if a swap is inescapable it should be imposition of governor’s rule for least period of time to be followed by fresh elections. The Opposition PDP is also reported to be in favour of fresh elections under governor’s rule.
However, the senior Abdullah who has been shuttling between Srinagar and New Delhi over the past few days has ruled out possibility of taking over from his son. The strong view within the ruling National Conference is; it would be politically suicidal for junior Abdullah to step down as the people will construe any such move as his failure which in turn will have far reaching ramifications over his political future. Publicly, various state Congress leaders have also rallied behind the chief minister and said that he would be completing the stipulated six year term and will continue to lead the coalition government till 2014 when the state Assembly elections are due.
The police and CRPF personnel in thousands were back on the streets of Srinagar and towns of Baramulla, Kupwara, Handwara and Ganderbal at dawn on Friday to re-impose curfew.