Kashmir remains largely peaceful

After several days of unrest, Kashmir remained largely peaceful today with police saying no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the Valley.
But the move of the authorities to ease curfew in four districts of the Valley for allowing reopening of schools did not work even as newspapers hit the stands after five days.
While officials did not comment on whether the schools reopened today, reports from the four districts--Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam and Ganderbal--said the educational institutions remained closed.
Though authorities lifted curfew from the four districts, restrictions on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPC continue in these districts as a precautionary measure, a police official said. Curfew, however, continued in the remaining six districts of the Valley.

The curfew was lifted in order to facilitate the reopening of the schools in these areas following the government decision to this effect yesterday.
A police official said the day passed off peacefully with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the Valley.

Normal life, however, remained affected for the 13th day today due to curfew and separatist sponsored strike against the civilian killings in the clashes between protesters and security forces in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.
Forty-three persons were killed and scores of others injured in the unrest.
The government yesterday modified its earlier order and announced opening of schools in the four districts from today. The schools were earlier scheduled to open on July 18 but the government had extended the summer vacations till July 25 in view of the unrest.

"Some staff members had arrived for duty at schools but returned home as no students turned up," Nazir Ahmad, a social activist from Bandipora, told PTI.
Ahmad said even schools in Garoora, the native village of Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, remained closed.
"Please do not expect people to risk the lives of their children just becasue someone sitting in a coSy office in Srinagar thought of opening schools in such circumstances," he added.