In a midnight development, Jammu and Kashmir government has removed Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police in the riot-hit Kishtwar district of Jammu while asking Divisional Commissioner of Jammu to hold a time-bound inquiry into Friday’s communal clashes. Two persons, a Hindu and a Muslim, died and 80 others sustained injuries in the clashes in which over a hundred business establishments and vehicles were also torched.

Official sources said that the DC, Mohammad Saleem (IAS) was attached to General Administration Department and the SP, Sunil Gupta (IPS) to the Office of Director General of Police till further orders. Baseer Khan has been appointed as the new DC and Sanjay Kumar Kotwal as the new SP of Kishtwar. By another administrative order, Government has order closure of all educational institutions in Jammu province on Saturday. Government has also appointed Divisional Commissioner of Jammu Shant Manu as an inquiry officer and directed him to complete an investigation into the Kishtwar turmoil and violence in a time-bound manner. Government has also sanctioned ex- gratia relief of Rs. 5 lakh to the next of the kin of Arvind Kumar Bhagat who died in the communal clashes on friday .

Curfew on Saturday remained in force in violence-hit Kishtwar district even as protests against the communal clashes rocked Jammu and adjoining districts and normal life disrupted due to a bandh called in the region. The Jammu and Kashmir Highway remained blocked at several places as protestors burnt tyres, sat on dharnas and put up barricades in Vijaypur in Samba, Rajpora in Kathua, Udhampur and Gangyal areas. Normal life was hit in Jammu and adjoining districts of region due to a bandh called against the communal clashes in Kishtwar district that left two persons dead and over 20 people injured on Friday.

All the shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was totally off the roads in Jammu city on the call given by BJP and other organisation to protest against the incident. The state government had already closed all educational institutes in Jammu in view of the bandh. Attendance was also thin in government departments due to the strike. “There was no report of any untoward incident in Jammu region and the bandh in most of the districts was peaceful”, a police spokesman said. Reports from Kathua, Samba, Reasi, Katra, Udhampur,Katra, Chenani, Poonch, Vijaypur, Akhnoor, Sunderbani, Kalakote, Noushera, R S Pura and Ramnagar areas said a near total bandh was observed, while a partial bandh was observed in Bhaderwah, Rajouri, Ramban and Doda areas as people belonging to one community had closed their shops and business establishments. In Jammu, there were protests in various areas and anti-government rallies taken out by BJP, Bar Association Jammu, VHP-Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena and Trade Association to protest the incident and demand that Minister of State for Home, Sajad Ahmed Kitchloo be sacked.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had last night ordered a high-level inquiry into the Kishtwar clashes. BJP after a day Bandh being held has announced 72 hours of continuos protest .

Post By : Sujata Bhau