The lockdown crippled life on the first day of Ramadan after widespread violence on Saturday over the killing of Sabzar Ahmad Bhat in a gunfight with security forces.
Government forces in riot gear erected barricades in the main city, Srinagar, and other towns in southern Kashmir to prevent people from reaching the commander’s funeral.
But thousands of mourners defied the security curbs yesterday to attended the burial of the rebel commander in his hometown amid anti-India and pro-independence slogans.
Srinagar’s central mosque remained shut and devotees were barred from offering prayers on the first day of the fasting month.
“Restrictions have been put in place in some areas to maintain law and order,” police chief Shesh Pal Vaid said.
Bhat, head of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, and a 16-year-old associate were killed in a gunfight near his native village in Tral area.
A protester was shot dead by troops during clashes as hundreds of villagers tried to break the security cordon to help the militants to escape.
Clashes spread to other districts, leaving dozens injured.
Last year nearly 100 protesters were killed after militant chief Burhan Wani was killed, triggering months of anti-India protests.
Bhat took over as the leader.
“Forces have blocked all roads to restrict people to their areas,” Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Pulwama, a neighbouring district of Tral, said.
Authorities snapped Internet mobile services and calling services on Saturday just hours after a month-long ban on 22 social media sites like Facebook and Twitter ended.
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was arrested yesterday and shifted to central jail in Srinagar.
The JKLF chief had on Saturday visited Bhat’s home and met his mother to express his condolences.
Authorities are now bracing for the ‘March to Tral’ called by separatists on May 30 to offer funeral prayers (Fateha) at the grave of Bhat. The separatists have also called a two-day protest shutdown.
The unrest in Kashmir comes as federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in New Delhi that the central government has come up with a “permanent solution” to the Kashmir issue but there will be no compromise on the territorial integrity of India.
Singh also ruled out inviting separatist groups for talks on Kashmir and said whoever wanted to talk “development and peace” was welcome.
“We have come up with a permanent solution to solve Kashmir. The initiative has begun. We are moving forward,” he said, without giving details.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency has summoned two separatist leaders - Ghazi Javed Baba and Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karate - to Delhi today for questioning in connection with alleged funding from Pakistan-based groups, officials said .
According to officials, the separatist leaders have been asked to bring along details of their bank accounts and property papers.
Last week, the counter-terror agency questioned Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leader Baba and JKLF leader Dar for four days in Srinagar about their alleged involvement in raising, receiving funds through illegal channels for stoking violence in Kashmir.
The agency on May 19 questioned suspended Hurriyat leader Nayeem Khan - who was shown in a sting operation by India Today news channel confessing that Pakistan was pumping in money to stoke trouble in the Valley in connivance with separatist leaders.
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