Srinagar : Shops and establishments in most parts of Kashmir Valley were closed Thursday to protest a Danish newspaper publishing a caricature of the Prophet and the alleged desecration of the Quran in Sopore town.
The strike call was given by the separatist Hurriyat Conference group led by Syed Ali Geelani. The Kashmir bar association and other groups supported the shutdown.
Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements all over the valley to maintain law and order. Though shops in parts of Kashmir capital Srinagar and other major towns were closed, traffic was plying.
Tension is still high in the north Kashmir town of Sopore, famous for its apples, where three drunk youths had desecrated the Quran and also tried to set ablaze the mosque earlier this week.
Though the three have been arrested by the state police, locals are demanding stringent punishment.
The publication of a caricature of Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper has added to the tension here and authorities have made elaborate security arrangements all over the valley to maintain law and order.
National Conference president Omar Abdullah has strongly condemned the Sopore incident and has asked the government to punish the guilty.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) has condemned the publication of the caricature and said in a statement: "By resorting to such acts they have given enough evidence that they were against Islam."
