One killed, 20 injured in J&K violence

Mangaloretoday/DHNS

Srinagar, Aug 9, 2013: At least one person was killed, over 20 injured and dozens of shops and houses burnt down when communal clashes broke out during Eid celebrations in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

Officials said curfew was clamped immediately after the violence, and two columns of the army deployed in Kishtwar town to assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order.

 

However, reports said clashes continued till the evening despite Army patrolling on the streets.

Reports said more than 500 people from Hullar, Bandna, Punoo and Bhata villages took out a procession in Kishtwar town, 200 km southeast of Srinagar, and raised pro-independence slogans that led to clashes between two communities.

Asif, a resident of Kishtwar, told Deccan Herald over phone that stone-pelting and clashes took place between the two communities at Kuleed Chowk.

“Some of the people who had come to the Chowgan ground to offer Eid prayers also joined the violence,” he said, adding that the mob torched dozens of shops and houses. A truck and a hotel belonging to the kin of an MLC were also burnt down.

A senior police officer said there was heavy stone-pelting from both sides, after which the police fired on the mob, in which one person was killed and nearly two dozen injured.

He said the clashes spread like wild fire in other parts of the district, and were going on till late in the evening.

Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Saleem said, “At least 25 shops have been burnt and nearly eight people wounded in the clashes.” He said the situation is tense and efforts are on to control it.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police Ashok Prasad said the situation is serious and “our priority is not to allow the situation to escalate. We are trying to enforce strict curfew.”

Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani called for a complete shutdown on Saturday in the Kashmir Valley over the Kishtwar incident. The BJP has also called for a strike in Jammu to protest against the communal clashes.

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters, the police and paramilitary personnel were injured in clashes in Srinagar which broke out after Eid prayers in several parts of the city.

To prevent separatist leaders from leading the protesters, authorities had placed Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik and several others under house arrest since Thursday evening.

However, immediately after the prayers, some youth indulged in stone-pelting at the police and CRPF personnel deployed to maintain law and order in the Eidgah, Hyderpora and Sikidafar areas of the city.