Srinagar, Sept. 27 -- For the first time since curfew was imposed three days ago in Leh town of Ladakh, authorities on Saturday eased restrictions for a few hours, providing relief to residents. Shops selling essential commodities reopened, and people queued at ATMs as security forces maintained a vigilant presence.

The Director General of Police, Ladakh, S D Singh Jamwal, said curfew was relaxed in two phases: two hours from 1 PM to 3 PM in old city areas and two hours from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM in newer areas. The move came after a high-level security review chaired by Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta.

The curfew followed widespread violence on Wednesday after a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) demanding statehood and extensi...