According to the hotel staff and few occupants, a masked man entered the hotel building early afternoon and locked himself in the hall at the top storey of the four-tiered building. With a chair, he broke a window pane and started shouting “run away, run away” at the pedestrians, while crying out the same to the hotel employees.
Considering the prevailing security scenario in Valley, the first impression that every witness got was that of a militant attack. The man was perceived as a militant and in no time, rumor engulfed the city centre at Lal Chowk and spread everywhere across Srinagar: ‘A militant had occupied the hotel, adjacent to a Centre Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp’.
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Within seconds panic struck across the city-centre and shopkeepers downed the shutters, standing on the parapets, expecting to witness a gunfight, any time now. Drama was unfolding. The hotel was cordoned and sanitized, the CRPF took charge outside the premises and finally police officials entered the hotel and caught hold of the man. He was carrying a gun-shaped wooden club. “It was like April-fool for us”, a police official said.
More was yet to come. When police brought down the mentally-challenged person from the hotel building, a large section of youth, not knowing what exactly transpired, presumed him to be a militant and started shouting slogans. They also threw stones at government forces who in turn reacted with aerial firing to disperse the protesters. But, the gunshots gave further credence to the rumor that a militant has been arrested. Shopkeepers now locked the downed shutters and ran for safety.
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The police and paramilitary forces started chasing the stone throwing youths, who surfaced from all across the nearby alleys. The police then fired tear-smoke shells at the protestors. In a moment, Lal Chowk turned into a battle field for a while.
Close to two hours later, business was partially-resumed and vehicles were out on the roads. The situation gave a semblance of normalcy as most shops remained closed till late evening.
Few hundred meters away from the center of the action, on the bund at Residency Road, the scene was different and reflected another side of Kashmir. Here artists were showcasing paintings, singers were charming audiences with local music, and Kashmiri kehwa was being served to the visitors, on the banks of river Jhelum.
The spring festival, 'Phulai' was organized by a local restaurant and it brought large numbers in as well.
An act entirely different from the play staged at Lal Chowk.
Pictures by Naseer Ganai
