Jammu & Kashmir

Curfew to be relaxed for three hours in violence-hit areas, Section 144 to be imposed: Jammu District Magistrate

FILE PHOTO.

Srinagar: District Magistrate of Jammu has announced a relaxation in curfew in the areas falling under Police Stations of Gandhi Nagar (except Police Post Nehru Park and Digiana), Channi Himmat, Sainik Colony, Trikuta Nagar and Satwari (except Police Posts of Belicharana and Gadighat) from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm today.

“However, restrictions would be in place in these areas under Section-144 on public gatherings,” DM said.

He said official identity cards of the Civil Secretariat Employees and the staff deployed with Essential Services shall be treated as curfew pass to facilitate their movement.

The DM said in addition Air Tickets, Railway Tickets and Admit Cards for various examinations would be also treated as curfew passes.

ALSO READ: Jammu: Despite ‘curfew’, petrol bomb hurled on Kashmiris residing in Top Sharekhan area

The District Magistrate has urged people to maintain peace and tranquillity and do not allow the miscreants to create any trouble in their respective areas.

Protests took place on Saturday evening in the city’s Nai Basti, Bantalab, Domana and Parade ground areas, but were quickly brought under control.

The Indian Army has heightened security in Jammu city to maintain law and order.

ALSO READ: Jammu: Police detain Kashmiri man from quarters of Secretariat employees, ‘had gone to buy milk’, say employees, ‘was pelting stones’, say police

The curfew was imposed on Friday after miscreants torched vehicles and damaged several others carrying number plates of the Kashmir Valley in protest against Thursday’s killing of 49 CRPF troopers in a suicide attack in Pulwama by a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant.

A number of quarters belonging to Kashmiris in the Janipur area of Jammu were attacked by frenzied mobs, despite imposition of curfew in the city on Saturday.

“The mobs entered inside the premises and attacked quarters of Kashmiris while police remained a mute spectator,” they said, according to GNS.

Secretariat Employees Union President Ghulam Rasool Mir had condemned the attack and urged the administration to ensure the safety of the people from Kashmir and those from the particular community.

ALSO READ: ‘We were attacked from all sides’: Darbar move employees in Jammu say neighbours were part of the mob too

The fresh attack came despite the fact that the administration had not relaxed curfew on Saturday too.

After the mob violence, Army was immediately called in to restore order in the city.

Curfew was imposed on Friday when a mob torched and damaged at least 30 vehicles belonging to local Muslims and Kashmiris. Curfew was initially imposed in some vulnerable areas, but was later extended to the entire city as tension mounted in the wake of violence against a particular section of the society.

The authorities met with important citizens belonging to different communities on Friday to seek their help in bringing the city back to normal.

The Joint Resistance Leadership had condemned the arson attacks in Jammu, saying it is the responsibility of the state administration to ensure safety of Kashmiris living there.

ALSO READ: #IndiaWantsRevenge: Kashmiris outside fear for their lives, face xenophobia, abuse, rustication after Pulwama attack

“Right from 1947 (when subcontinent was divided), communal forces active in Jammu leave no stone unturned to attack and intimidate Muslims and Kashmiri people,” they said.

Trouble erupted when a group of people belonging to various right wing organisations including Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, and VHP took out a procession carrying tricolours through Gujjar Nagar, which is predominantly inhabited by Muslims.

Earlier, Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the National Conference had appealed Rajnath Singh take ‘special care of areas where Kashmiris as residing or studying.’

In a tweet, he had said that ‘they (Kashmiris) are soft targets in a surcharged atmosphere.’

Click to comment
To Top