Srinagar, July 08 : It was a tough day for tourists, students and women in Srinagar, where violent protests erupted after body of a youth, missing since Saturday, was recovered in the down town today.
However, a majority of tourists left for different destinations in several parts of the Kashmir valley, where the situation was peaceful.
Tourists in the city, who were busy shopping in the civil lines, ran for safety after the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police personnel opened fire in the air, burst teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse violent demonstrators at dozens of civil line areas, including the historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city and the fashionable Budshah Chowk.
Within minutes, all shops were closed and traffic went off the road after several shops and vehicles were damaged in the clashes.
However, a number of local vehicle owners took the tourists out of the trouble spot to safety in Dal Lake area.
Tourists were seen enjoying in Dal Lake and other Mughal gardens on the bank of famed Lake, where there was no impact of demonstrations and clashes in the civil lines.
It was a tough time for girl students who found it difficult to reach their homes after educational institutions were closed in the civil line areas.
Kothibagh school girl students had to take a longer route after they were not allowed to pass through Exchange road by the CRPF personnel who were directing everybody to go back.
Anxious parents were seen rushing to educational institutions to take back their children because of violence.
As a result of clashes, transport also went off the roads, forcing people, including women and children, to cover the distance on foot to reach their destinations.
A UNI correspondent had to abandon his vehicle at Natipora to cover the six km distance on foot to reach office.
Employees of different government and semi government departments besides shopkeepers and their salesmen and others were seen marching towards their respective destinations on foot.
Interestingly, situation in the outskirts was near normal with shops and business establishments doing their business as usual.
–Agencies