Martyr’s Memorial Row: A fortnight of shutdowns in Pulwama

Pulwama: With the administration “backtracking” from its word with Pulwama residents to release the arrested youth and allow the installation of a ‘memorial’ plaque for slain militants, locals resumed shutdown today morning.

A large number of shops in the town dealing in essential commodities like medicines, meat, food, ration items etc had opened in the morning. People from different areas thronged Pulwama town and were seen buying essential goods for their homes. Shopkeepers were seen cleaning their shops and organising their items in the shops. Street vendors and other hawkers were busy attending to customers. However, the market closed completely as the news of the administration “backtracking” from its word spread.

A trader, wishing anonymity, said that the administration and police “backtracked from its promise with us barely hours” after a meeting of the district representatives with Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Samoon, IGP Kashmir, Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gilani, and Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, Neeraj Kumar in Srinagar on Wednesday.

The trader said the resumption of the strike has been decided by the locals because “barely after few hours of the meeting, the administration and police called us about their decision of not allowing us to install the memorial board.”

DC Pulwama Neeraj Kumar said that the traders have called off the strike. But when asked that the strike has resumed today, he said, “Talk to the traders” and dropped the call.

Today is the 15th day of the paralysis in the district due to the obstinacy of the administration to deny the insignia erection, though the traders had relented from installation of a big memorial to a mere simple board at Shaheed Park at busy Rajpora Chowk.