Normal life was disrupted in Kashmir Valley today due to a strike called by separatist groups against the killing of three youths who the Hizbul Mujahideen claimed were its cadre.
The bullet-riddled bodies of the three were recovered in Baramulla district on Monday.
Shops, business establishments, petrol pumps, offices and educational institutions in Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir – were shut, officials said.
They said government offices and banks witnessed thin attendance. Public transport was off the roads, while cars, auto-rickshaws and cabs plied in some areas of the city, the officials said.
They said similar reports were received from other district headquarters of the Valley.
Separatist groups, including both the factions of Hurriyat Conference and JKLF, yesterday called for a complete shutdown against the killings, calling them "cold blooded murder".
The bodies were recovered from an orchard near Dangerpora in Pattan area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Monday, triggering clashes between the protestors and the law enforcing agencies.
Terming the killings as "brutal", chairman of hardline Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani yesterday said that "even if nothing is clearly known about these killings but on seeing the circumstances and the way of the killing, we cannot rule out the hand of government forces in the incident".
Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit, in a statement yesterday, said the three youth were members of the outfit and blamed Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police for their "murder in custody".
However, police said the trio may have been killed in an internal war between two militant groups – Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI).
Abdul Qayoom Najar, the longest surviving militant in north Kashmir, broke ranks with the Hizbul Mujahideen to form his own outfit Lashkar-e-Islam. The group carried out several attacks on mobile towers and other telecommunication installations in May and June this year.
