Strike shuts down Kashmir amid tensions

The residents of Indian-administered Kashmir have held a complete shutdown strike amid rising tensions across the disputed Himalayan Valley.

On Tuesday, almost all institutions and businesses remained closed, and traffic stayed off the streets in Srinagar and some other major towns of the Kashmir Valley.

Reports further indicated that all schools and government offices remained closed in the Muslim-majority region.

The latest strike comes as residents across Kashmir commemorate the anniversary of GawaKadal massacre. Over 50 civilians were killed and many more injured in an unprovoked firing by Indian forces in January 1990.

More than two decades on, the government has neither prosecuted any official involved in the gruesome massacre nor has it allowed a credible investigation into the case.

Separatist leaders say the Indian government should hold security forces accountable for human rights violations in Kashmir.

Authorities have deployed large police and paramilitary troops in most parts of the capital of Srinagar to prevent fresh street demonstrations.

The government forces have responded by imposing curfews and restrictions on the movement of people.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.

The neighbors agreed on a ceasefire in 2003 and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the ceasefire.

Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 20 years.