Remarks against Prophet: Shutdown in Srinagar, mobile internet suspended

Remarks against Prophet: Shutdown in Srinagar, mobile internet suspended

Anantnag: The authorities snapped mobile internet services across Srinagar city and its peripheral areas as a complete shutdown was observed against the “derogatory” remarks made by two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokespersons regarding the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam.
The spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal have since been suspended from the ruling party, as the outrage has been growing every passing day.
Many countries in the Middle East have summoned Indian ambassadors to their respective countries and have registered strong protests against the derogatory remarks made by these senior leaders of the BJP.
Some businesses in these countries, including Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, and others, have even started to boycott Indian products – putting New Delhi in a spot of bother.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the protests were first reported on Thursday from Bhaderwah area, where Muslims took out a protest rally. A curfew was imposed and internet services were curtailed in the Chenab Valley region as tensions kept escalating, following an inflammatory social media post by a person of a different faith regarding Islam.
Today, the protests reached Srinagar as a spontaneous shutdown was observed across the capital city and many peripheral areas. All commercial establishments, including shops and other places of work, remained closed for the day.
“Some private offices also did not conduct any work, even as some schools closed for the day as well,” sources in the city said, adding, “Traffic too was thin in most parts of the city, including the heart of the city Lal Chowk.”
A little-known NGO held protest demonstrations near the clock tower, even as a lesser-known politician also held a one-man protest around the same place.
Apprehensions of a “law and order” situation led the authorities to snap mobile internet services across the capital city. “There were inputs that some miscreants might take advantage of the situation and try to disturb peace in the city. The decision to snap mobile internet services was taken considering that,” a police source told Kashmir Reader.
The other parts of the valley, however, functioned normally. All shops and other commercial establishments were open and traffic plied normally in other areas.
Mobile internet services also kept functioning normally outside of Srinagar city.
Train services on the Baramulla-Banihal track plied as per schedule as well. “All the trains ran as per schedule,” a railway official told Kashmir Reader.

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