Fresh clashes have erupted in Jammu and Kashmir’s eastern district of Kishtwar, leaving three persons injured on Saturday, a day after Army was called out in the main town of the volatile hilly region which had witnessed worst incidents of communal violence on Friday. Two persons were killed and scores injured in the day-long mayhem which had also left behind a trail of burned properties. Curfew was imposed in Rajouri too.
Following renewed violence, the authorities have issued shoot-at-sight orders and the Army on Saturday again staged a flag march through the streets of Kishtwar town. But reports said that the police and other law-enforcing agencies have little or virtually no presence in most rural areas of the district; hence rival groups are targeting each other at will. Elsewhere, fear psychosis prevails.
Meanwhile, a shutdown was observed in Jammu and other Hindu-majority areas of the region on Saturday in response to a call issued by BJP which blamed the violence in Kishtwar on “anti-national” elements within Muslim community. Muslim groups, on the other hand, claimed that Muslim worshippers heading for Chogan grounds in Kishtwar town for the Id congregation were attacked by Hindus in Kuleed Mohalla, triggering clashes.
The tensions are growing and frontier town Poonch too has been placed under curfew. Political parties have appealed for calm and the state government, which had ordered a probe into Friday’s incidents, late in the night removed Kishtwar’s district magistrate Muha-mmad Saleem and SP Sunil Gupta for their alleged failure in initiating pre-emptive measures ahead of Id in view of growing tensions between the two communities in the Chenab valley region and allowing the drift after Friday’s clashes. They have been replaced by Baseer Ahmed Khan and Sanjay Kumar Kotwal, respectively. Jammu divisional commissioner Shantmanu has been appointed to inquire into the incidents of violence and arson and the consequent loss of life and property but the Opposition has voiced lack of faith in probe.
Reports said three persons, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Khanday, Muhammad Imtiaz Butt and Altaf Hussein, received bullet injuries in firing resorted to by members of a village defence committee in Hussad, a village of Paddar area, about 50 km north of Kishtwar town, on Saturday. The rival groups also torched some homes in the village. Sporadic violence and clashes between agitating youth and police was reported also from various parts of Jammu region during Saturday’s “bandh” which has since been extended till Monday evening.