Pulwama terror attack: Hours after the report of tragic Pulwama terror which took lives of as many as 40 CRPF jawans in Jammu came into light, reports of attacks on Kashmiris in Jammu and other parts of the country started coming in. In the wake of the attack, a shutdown was observed in Lal Chowk in the city and around the vicinity on Saturday. Shopkeepers in Lal Chowk, Maisuma, Residency Road and other adjoining areas downed their shutters at 3 pm in response to a shutdown called by trade bodies of the Valley earlier in the day, news agency PTI reported.

Demanding safety of Kashmiri traders and student in the Valley and other parts of the country, these traders also took out a protest march today. Various trade bodies and employees' unions also held a protest at Press Colony here. The trade bodies have also called for Kashmir bandh on Sunday.

Reportedly, the bandh call was issued by the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Forum, Kashmir Economic Alliance and other trade bodies of the Valley. Meanwhile, protests also broke out amid a spontaneous shutdown in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Most of the shops in Anantnag town were shut to protest the violent demonstrations in Jammu and alleged harassment of Kashmiris in other parts of the country.

Protests broke out in Jammu over the terror attack in south Kashmir's Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed on Thursday. A curfew has been imposed in Jammu as a precautionary measure.

Later on Saturday, groups of youth clashed with security forces in Anantnag after rumours spread about a Kashmiri driver being killed in an attack in Jammu. However, police refuted the rumours, saying they were totally baseless and fake.

In the wake of various reports of attack on Kashmiris from across the country, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier today and sought his intervention to ensure safety of Kashmiri students and traders in various parts of the country.

In his 30-minute-long meeting with the home minister, Abdullah also requested Singh to make sure that peace returns to the Jammu region where violent protests erupted after a suicide attack in Pulwama on February 14. “Just met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Sb to personally pay my condolences for the tragic deaths in Pulwama on Thursday. I requested him to take all steps necessary to ensure Jammu remains calm (sic),” Omar wrote on Twitter.

Even some Kashmiri youths studying in Uttarakhand have alleged that they were harassed and have been asked by their landlords to vacate accommodations fearing attacks on their properties in the aftermath of the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir on Thursday. Massive protests and candlelight marches were held on Friday in different parts of the country against the attack and curfew was imposed in Jammu city following violence during demonstrations there.