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Saturday, Jun 28, 2008
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Protests continue in Kashmir Valley

Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR: As the general strike against the transfer of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) entered the fifth day, thousands took to the streets on Friday demanding immediate revocation of the order.

Apart from a few minor violent incidents the police and Central Reserve Police Force observed maximum restraint to avoid a bloody confrontation.

Srinagar and all the major towns besides villages in the Kashmir valley witnessed a sea of people coming out on the streets soon after the Friday prayers. In the morning, the streets wore a deserted look. But by afternoon, all the streets were packed with people chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. They also shouted slogans against Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and his predecessor Mufti Mohammad Sayeed holding them responsible for transferring land to SASB as part of a “major conspiracy.”

Crowds gathered in different parts of Srinagar. The biggest was in Lal Chowk, which later headed towards the United Nations office here to present a memorandum to the Secretary General seeking his intervention.

Reports from Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, Bandipore, Kupwara, Kulgam, Shopian, Ganderbal and Budgam districts said that similar protests were witnessed in almost all the areas.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in Kashmir. Traffic was also off the roads.

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