Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a meeting of the cabinet working group on security affairs to talk about the Kashmir situation. A curfew was imposed in Kashmir after four people were killed and over 90 wounded in a demonstration the day before. The meeting was attended by the finance minister, the defence minister and the home minister.

Earlier, the Army moved into curfew-bound Srinagar to help out the civil establishment in maintaining law and order and staged a flag march on airport road following violence had left three people dead. The flag march was conducted on the Srinagar Airport Road from 10:30 am, a defence spokesperson said.

The state administration had sought the help of the army in the wake of spiraling protests in the capital. Curfew imposed on Tuesday after three persons were killed supposedly in firing by security forces is being strictly enforced in the city.

Curfew was also in force in Anantnag, Pampore, Pulwama and Kulgam in South Kashmir and Kupwara and Bandipore in North Kashmir. Limitations were enforcing at Sopore and Baramulla where Army also staged a flag march.

The military was called out on the streets of Srinagar late last night to impose the curfew keeping in view the non-availability of sufficient number of police personnel, many of whom have been deployed for Amarnath Yatra and counter-insurgency operations, official sources said.

On the deployment of the military in Srinagar, state minister and Congress leader Taj Mohiuddin said, “We requested the army to help us in maintaining peace. Peace is our main concern. They will be the helpful force we need for keeping calm. “The district management thinks that the army is needed to keep calm in the valley. The anger is there,” he said.

State Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar asked the public to respect the curfew restrictions. “We will severely implement the curfew restrictions. Administration will try its best to reinstate normalcy. We are trying our best to normalize the circumstances,” he said.

Referring to stone-pelting protestors, he said, “Some elements, some agencies were getting the youths on the roads for implementing their political program. So we are trying our best to manage the situation. It is just the question of saving the people from this state of affairs”.

The state administration has advised deputy commissioners throughout the valley to implement prohibitory orders in their respective jurisdiction. They have also been instructed to impose curfew wherever essential, an official spokesperson said.

Police vans fitted with public address system announced imposition of curfew this morning and also advised people to stay behind doors. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had appealed to the public to keep calm and not to violate curfew restrictions.

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