Srinagar, March 19 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, after the recent shootout in Srinagar in which one civilian was killed and four others were injured, Koker Bazar, Lal Chowk and other adjoining areas witnessed a crackdown for two hours by Indian police and Central Reserve Police Force.

Eyewitness told media men that the police and CRPF personnel who cordoned off Lal Chowk and conducted searches in the area checked identity cards and frisked thoroughly the people and vehicles.

The shopkeepers and eyewitness said that heavy contingents of the CRPF troopers and police descended on Lal Chowk and sealed off the area from the Clock Tower, Koker Bazar up to the Court Road to conduct frisking of pedestrians and shopkeepers. “We were lined up in a queue as the troopers and policemen checked our identity cards, with traffic in the congested area being diverted to other routes for hours during the crackdown,” the eyewitnesses said.

At least 30,000 personnel of police and CRPF have been deployed in Srinagar to stop pro-freedom rallies and protests against Indian state terrorism.

Meanwhile, at least one dozen residential houses were gutted and property worth crores of rupees was destroyed in a fire mishap at Brein-Nishat in Srinagar. The local people said that they could not save the property, as they were asleep when the fire broke out and they could only save their lives. »