Partial shutdown in Valley over killing of toddler, two othe

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
The Kashmir valley today observed a shutdown to protest the killing of three persons — a three-year-old boy, his father and a militant — last week.
The shutdown had a partial impact on public transport services as traffic plied on most roads in the city and other districts of the region. The flea market in Lal Chowk, the city’s commercial hub, remained open as shoppers thronged the area ahead of Eid-ul-Zuha, being celebrated later this week.
The shutdown comes at a time when outrage is mounting against the killing of Burhan Bashir, 3, shot by unidentified gunmen along with his father, a former militant, in north Kashmir’s Sopore town on Friday.
On social networking sites, local netizens compared Burhan with Syrian kid Aylan Kurdi, whose death by drowning sparked global outrage recently.
Burhan died on Saturday morning at a hospital where he was admitted in a critical condition. His death has been mourned by large sections of society, including Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the separatists.
Chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani had called for today’s shutdown. He condemned the killing of the boy, calling it an “unpardonable crime, whosoever has done it”.
There has been a spurt in killings by unidentified assailants in north Kashmir towns. Four militants, a former militant and his son were killed in three separate incidents last week.
The police investigation into the killings has so far remained inconclusive. They suspects the killing of four militants in two incidents a result of inter-group rivalry.
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik has announced that he will hold a day-long hunger strike on Tuesday to protest the killings. An association of the region’s doctors also condemned the killing of the three-year-old and termed it as an “act of utter barbarism”.
 
Top