Srinagar:
Jammu and Kashmir remains tense and under curfew three days after Afzal Guru was hanged and buried in Delhi's Tihar Jail on Saturday. Fourteen companies of the Border Security Force, or BSF, have been sent to the Valley to secure law and order. Additional units of the Central Reserve Police Force and state police have also been deployed.
At least 50 people, including 23 policemen, have been injured in clashes between protesters and law enforcing agencies across the Valley since Saturday. A 16-year-old boy, who was among five people injured during firing by security forces in Baramulla district, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday night.
Law enforcement agencies are taking no chances as today is also the death anniversary of separatist leader Maqbool Bhat, who, like Afzal Guru, was hanged in Tihar Jail in 1984 for killing an intelligence officer. His death had created massive unrest in the valley.
Only ambulances and staff of the essential services department have been issued curfew passes to facilitate their movement.
Internet, mobile data, and cable services, which were restricted following Afzal Guru's hanging, continue to remain down in many parts of the state.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said yesterday that the execution would fuel the feeling of alienation in his state. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Mr Abdullah said, "The long term implications of Afzal Guru's execution are worrying as they are linked to the people of Kashmir, especially the younger generation."
Afzal Guru, convicted of conspiring and sheltering terrorists involved in the strike on Parliament on December 13, 2001, was hanged after his mercy petition was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee.