Strict vigil on death anniversary of Mirwaiz Farooq, Gani Lone
Srinagar, May 21
Restrictions were tightened in and around Srinagar city and security forces were deployed in strength as the authorities looked to prevent any congregation of separatist groups to mark the death anniversaries of Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone on Friday.
The national highway connecting Srinagar to north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Kupwara districts was sealed, as were roads leading towards the city centre from the Civil Lines area, officials said.
Movement towards the Eidgah martyrs’ graveyard where slain leaders Farooq and Lone are buried was not allowed. People with movement passes and those having emergencies were, however, allowed to cross the barricades set up across the city, officials added.
Farooq and Lone were killed by terrorists of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen in 1990 and 2002, respectively, for opposing the growing gun culture in the Kashmir valley. They were both considered advocates of finding a lasting solution through peaceful means.
People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone, Abdul Gani Lone’s son, paid tributes to his father in a series of tweets. — PTI
