Srinagar, March 6 Restrictions on movement of people in the Kashmir Valley were intensified on Friday as authorities apprehended protests against the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after prayers this afternoon.
Normal life in the valley has been disrupted for the sixth consecutive day due to protests over Khamenei's killing in a joint US-Israeli strike.
The restrictions were imposed on Monday after spontaneous protests erupted across Kashmir a day earlier against the killing.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a meeting with civil society representatives and religious leaders on Wednesday as part of efforts to bring the situation back to normalcy.
After the meeting, Abdullah appealed to people to maintain peace.
The protests have subsided after the meeting convened by the chief minister, with the number of affected areas dropping from several dozen on Tuesday to less than 10 by Thursday.
The government has closed educational institutions until Saturday and reduced mobile internet speeds.
A large number of police and paramilitary CRPF personnel were deployed across the city in the early hours to prevent gatherings of protestors, officials said.
They added that concertina wire and barricades were placed at key intersections leading into the city, while asserting that these were precautionary measures to maintain law and order.
The iconic Ghanta Ghar in the city center of Lal Chowk remained a no-go zone after authorities sealed the area with barricades erected around it late Sunday night.
The move to seal the Ghanta Ghar came after it witnessed massive protests on Sunday following Khamenei's assassination.
This is the first time since August 2019 – when Article 370 was revoked – that such large-scale protests have taken place in Kashmir.
