The authorities on Friday tightened the Covid-19 curfew in Srinagar district on the eve of the death anniversary of Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone, which is being marked on 21 May in Kashmir.
Witnesses told a local news agency, Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the authorities tightened the curbs in order to restrict the movement of public and thwart any gatherings.
They said that the strict curbs were put in place and public movement toward downtown Srinagar was restricted as nobody was being allowed to move toward the area.
Witnesses said that police and paramilitary troops were deployed in large numbers to enforce the lockdown restrictions.
“The barricades and concertina wires were erected at many places and bridges to thwart the public movement,” they said.
Notably, on 21 May Farooq was killed at his Nageen Lake residence while Lone was killed on the 12th death anniversary of Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq at Eidgah in Srinagar. Meanwhile, media men were barred from covering the downtown situation.
A group of photographers who were on their way to the old city was stopped at Bishembar Nagar and Babademb area and were told: “There are directions from the top not to allow anyone towards downtown.”—(KNO)