SRINAGAR: Terrorists killed a 65-year-old shopkeeper for keeping his grocery shop open at Parimpora in the outskirts of

Srinagar

on Thursday late evening, triggering panic and fear in the entire Valley.

The killing of the shopkeeper in Srinagar city was first of its kind since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. The Srinagar shopkeepers had started to open up their shops with half-shutters down after three weeks of the scrapping of the Article 370 even as rioters warned them against it. But the killing at Parimpora deterred shopkeepers to the extent that there was no shop open in the interior lanes and bye-lanes of the Srinagar city on Friday, reports said.

According to eyewitnesses, three motorbike-borne terrorists shot at Ghulam Mohammad when he was closing down his shop on Srinagar-Baramulla road. He was killed for keeping his shop open as the Valley has been slowly trying to return to normal routine from a shutdown since August 5. The grocer succumbed to pistol bullet injuries in the hospital, police sources said.

The Valley has been under clampdown since the central government reorganized

state, invalidating Articles 370 and 35A. Though there is no curfew and restrictions were eased after the first few days, most shops and businesses have remained shut due to fear of violence by separatists.

A 42-year-old truck driver was stoned to death in Bijbehara,

by stone-pelters last week. Two Gujjars were kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Tral, south Kashmir in the third week of August. With the killing of the grocer in Srinagar, massive fear has spread in the entire business community across Kashmir valley.

Authorities today imposed restrictions across Kashmir valley again in view of the inputs about violence after the Friday prayers. Amid curfew-like situation in the Valley, thousands of residents offered Friday Nimaz in local mosques. However, the Friday congregation was not held at Jamia Masjid (Grand Mosque) at

in old Srinagar city.

All the major streets were blocked by barricades and huge deployment of security forces. The Srinagar airport road at Hyderpora, Bhagat and Ram bagh was also blocked by temporary barricades, eyewitnesses said.

Restrictions were severe in view of stone-pelting incidents reported on Thursday evening at Natipora, Ram Bagh, Channapora, Batmalo and bypass road near

and Batamallo.

Meanwhile, according to an official spokesman, mobile phone connectivity was restored in Kupwara and Handwara in north Kashmir on Friday. The internet and mobile services continue to remain suspended in Srinagar and other parts of the valley even after three weeks.