Life disrupted in the Valley for second consecutive day

Srinagar, Dec 13 (PTI) Life in India's Kashmir valley
remained paralysed for the second successive day as
authorities deployed heavy security forces to scuttle any
attempt by separatists to disrupt the fifth phase of Jammu and
Kashmir assembly elections Saturday.

Roads in Srinagar and other majors towns of the Valley,
excluding Pulwama and Shopian districts, have been sealed in
view of anti-poll march call given by the separatist
organisations as polling began for the 11 constituencies in
the Valley, sources said.

Several top separatist leaders including chairmen of
both factions of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have been placed under house arrest,
the sources said.

The separatists organisations are against the elections
process and had called for protests and march on election
days.

Following intelligence inputs regarding possible attacks
on the candidates in fray, security has been beefed up, as
compared to earlier four phases.

"We have inputs that militants might enter the polling
areas and target the candidates", official sources said.

Prominent leaders in fray include People's Democratic
Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and former ministers
Ghulam Hassan Khan, Syed Bashir Ahmad and Mohammad Khalil
Bandh.

Almost all shops and business establishments are closed
and public transport is off the roads due to restrictions
imposed by the security forces, the sources said.

At a number of places, the residents complained that
they were not being allowed to come out of their houses by the
security personnel.

The police officials, however, denied any curfew like
situation, saying that only strict orders have been issued not
to allow gathering of four or more people across the Valley,
except Pulwama and Shopian districts where polling is
underway.

There has been no report of any untoward incident from
anywhere in the valley so far, they said, adding the situation
is well under control.

Nearly two dozen prominent separatist leaders had been
arrested since the Election Commission announced poll schedule
for the Jammu and Kashmir on October 19. PTI AMS
NIK