SRINAGAR, Aug 24 (AFP): Indian security forces enforced a strict curfew in Kashmir Sunday, a day ahead of a major rally planned by separatists who oppose Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region. Separatists have held a series of large demonstrations over the past two weeks, reviving calls for independence in the Kashmir valley.
They plan to hold a high-profile rally on Monday in Lal Chowk, or Red Square, in the historic centre of Srinagar.
The site is where India's first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru promised crowds in 1948 that New Delhi would give Kashmiris the right to self-determination through a referendum -- a pledge that has not been upheld. "Curfew is in force. Please don't come out of your homes," policemen announced through loudspeakers fitted onto police vehicles in Srinagar.
The curfew also covered other Muslim-dominated towns of Kashmir, a police statement said. Armed security personnel patrolled the empty streets of Srinagar.
On Saturday, a general strike to protest against Indian rule brought the region to a halt, while overnight hundreds of Kashmiris took to the streets carrying flaming torches and chanting "We want freedom" and "Allah is great".
A government official said the curfew was a "precautionary measure" due to fears for the safety of separatist leaders, who immediately rubbished the government's stance.
"They are scared of our peaceful but massive demonstrations for freedom," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the region's leading cleric, told AFP. "The rally in Lal Chowk is to remind India of its promises."
Shabir Shah, a veteran separatist, said police ransacked his home overnight and harassed members of his household, though he slipped away before police arrived.
Despite the strict curfew, residents held small anti-India demonstrations in Srinagar on Sunday before being chased away by security forces, residents and police said.
The recent troubles were triggered by a state government plan announced in June to donate land to a Hindu shrine trust in the Kashmir valley. The decision was later reversed after massive Muslim protests, angering Hindus.
Since June, at least 31 Muslims and three Hindus have died in police firing on protesters and other violence in the Kashmir valley and the mainly Hindu Jammu area.
