Restrictions were imposed on Pulwama district and parts of Srinagar city, while mobile internet services were also suspended after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen's (HM) commander, 21-year-old Burhan Muzaffar Wani, in anticipation of unrest. He and two other militants were killed in an encounter with the Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu & Kashmir police in Anantnag.
Mobile internet services and train services have also been suspended, the Times of India reported. The precautions are being taken to maintain law and order in the state. The suspension of mobile internet services in the valley becomes especially crucial as the young people are social media savvy and WhatsApp groups and Facebook are important media of communication there.
Stones were pelted at the police by the crowd after Wani's death. Massive funeral procession is also expected on Saturday for Wani.
The Amarnath Yatra was suspended following the encounter, as the lives of the pilgrims could be in danger.
The 21-year-old picked up arms at the age of 16 after dropping out from school before his Class 10 exams, the Hindustan Times reported. He had become the face of the militant group, attracting educated youth to join their cause of liberation of Kashmir from India.
He raised arms against India after his brother was humiliated by security forces in 2010 when the valley was fuming over the fake encounter of three young men.
He used social media to rally support for the Hizbul Mujahideen. In his latest post on Twitter, he had shown solidarity with controversial preacher Dr. Zakir Naik, who has been in headlines after Dhaka bakery attackers said that they were inspired by the Mumbai-based Islamic scholar.
"Support Zakir Naik or Time Will Come When Qur'an Recitation will be Banned," he had tweeted less than a day ago.
