Kishtwar protest HIGHLIGHTS: Curfew imposed in Chenab valley, Army stages flag march

Killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother in J&K’s Kishtwar is an act of cowardice. It is an extremely deplorable act. This is an attempt to derail the peace process in the region. My thoughts & prayers are with the family of Shri Parihar.

— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) November 2, 2018

Though there is no communal tension in the district in view of deceased BJP leader having considerable support even among the local Muslims, the authorities do not appear to take chances in view of the area being highly volatile and having been witness to communal clashes in the past. The Inspector General of Police, S D Singh Jamwal has been camping in the town supervising the situation. A Pal of gloom descends Tapal mohalla where both the brothers lived. They were returning home after closing their shop at that time.

Sources said that police have detained for questioning two of its own men who were posted as personal security officers (PSOs) with the BJP leader in view of his being on the hit list of terrorists. The PSOs were not accompanying him when gunmen attacked the deceased brothers. Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Angrez Singh Rana told The Indian Express that he has been repeatedly requesting politicians to carry along the PSOs deployed with them. However, in the case of deceased BJP leader, the PSO deployed with him were not accompanying him, he added.

While police remain tight-lipped over the progress in its investigations, sources said that there were two assailants and they were riding a motorcycle. They shot the Parihar brothers in their heads from a close range at Tapal mohalla near their residence. However, as there was darkness in the area in the absence of street lights, the killers remained unidentified.

Anil Parihar was active in politics for over 25 years and had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly elections on a Jammu and Kashmir National Panther Party (JKNPP) ticket. Ajeet Parihar was an employee of the State Forest Corporation (SFC). Anil is survived by his wife and two sons, one studying in 12th and another doing engineering course, Ajit is survived by his wife and two children including a daughter who has completed her engineering course.

The Army staged a flag march in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town where curfew was imposed. District Magistrate Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI the situation was tense but under control. "The Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town in order to maintain law and order," District Magistrate Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI. He said the curfew, which was imposed in the town late night Thursday, was strictly in place and additional security personnel were deployed in sensitive areas of the town. Rana said there were no reports of any untoward incidents. SSP Kishtwar Rajinder Gupta said a hunt was launched to track down those involved in the case.

Kishtwar is communally sensitive and the district had witnessed communal clashes in the past as well. The recent one was in August 2013. Militants have in the past attempted to create communal tension in the region by targeting the Hindu community, especially in higher reaches. In 2001, the terrorists killed 17 Hindu nomads.

J&K Congress president Gulam Ahmed Mir also condemned the killing of the BJP leader and his brother. He termed the attack "barbaric and unfortunate" and pointed towards the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana strongly condemned the killings as "barbaric, inhuman and most unfortunate". "Violence has no place in a civilised society," Rana said and hoped that the people will unitedly face the challenge posed by elements inimical to peace and tranquillity.

Just got the tragic news of killing of Shri Anil Parihar, Secretary @BJP4JnK, and his brother by terrorists in Kishtwar. This is a cowardly act that shames humanity. I grieve the death of my valued colleague and pray that God gives his family strength to bear this untimely loss.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 1, 2018

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressed shock and pain over the killings, saying the police will leave no stone unturned to bring perpetrators of the crime to justice. "Shocked and pained by the killing of J&K State BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother. My heart goes out to the bereaved family," he said in a tweet. The home minister also spoke to K Vijay Kumar, the advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, and took stock of the incident. "Spoke to Advisor to J&K Governor, Sh Vijay Kumar regarding the incident. The police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

Shocked & pained by the killing of J&K State BJP leader Sh. Anil Parihar & his brother. My heart goes out to the bereaved family. Spoke to Advisor to J&K Governor, Sh Vijay Kumar regarding the incident. The police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice.

— ?????? ???? (@rajnathsingh) November 1, 2018

BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning home from their shop when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said, adding this was the first such political killing in Jammu region in recent years. The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said. They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.

Mobile internet services in Chenani Valley comprising Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban district's have been suspended as a precautionary measure in view of the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar by unidentified gunmen in Kishtwar town on Thursday night. In rest of Jammu region, mobile internet services have been limited to 2G. With the decrease in speed, mobile users can only send text messages on WhatsApp, Facebook and messenger etc. The uploading of photographs will take time, while videos will not play.

Kishtwar town in Jammu and Kashmir was on the edge Thursday night after BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his elder brother Ajit Parihar were shot dead by unidentified gunmen, prompting authorities to impose curfew. The attack, suspected to have been carried out by militants, comes days ahead of the panchayat polls in the state which will be held in nine phases starting November 17. Son of late BJP leader Sewa Ram Parihar, Anil Parihar was an influential leader of the region. He was considered a moderate and had a sizeable support base even among Muslims.  As word of the killings spread, people in large numbers rushed to the local hospital. They clashed with police who tried to stop them. Anticipating trouble, authorities imposed curfew. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma said the killings appeared to be a “subversive activity” and an enquiry was being ordered.

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