Curfew continues in Mendhar,Poonch towns

“Curfew continues in Poonch and Mendhar border towns of Poonch district. Curfew entered third consecutive day in Poonch and second day in Mendhar”,police officials said.

The law and order situation is tense in Mendhar but under control,they said. Army staged a flag march in the violence-hit town last night.

Three persons were killed and 13 others injured when police opened fire on a mob trying to set ablaze a missionary school while protesting the alleged desecration of a holy book in Mendhar town yesterday.

Senior divisional level officials including divisional commissioner,Jammu province,Pawan Kotwal and Inspector General of Police (IGP),Jammu zone,Ashok Gupta along with legislators – Javed Rana,M R Quarishi,Mustaq Bukhari and Rashpal Singh were camping in the town.

As tension and protests continued in the town,Army officials late last night facilitated a meeting between irate senior citizens and families of the deceased persons, state government officials and legislators at the Army camp,defence sources said.

The protesters were demanding registration of a case against the police,their suspension and their arrest in connection with the firing,they said,adding authorities later registered a case against SDPO Vivek Gupta and five of his body-guards – Abdul Hameed,Gyas Khan,Vishal Sharma,Mohmmad Ilyas and Mohmad Asi and attached them. Police registered cases under section 302 and 34 Ranbir Panel Code (RPC) against them for unprovoked firing on peaceful protesters,they said.

Government has also ordered a probe headed by the Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal,they said. Protesting the alleged desecration of a holy book in

the US recently,a 3000-strong mob had taken out a procession in Mendhar town,270 km from Jammu,police said.

The protesters then headed towards a missionary school and tried to set it ablaze,which was prevented by the police.

In order to disperse the mob,police opened fire following which three persons died on the spot and 13 others were injured. Three of the deceased has been identified as Mohmmad Shamim (27),Abdul Irshad (19) and Alam Dar Shah (19).

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where 6 of them are stated to be serious. Six of the critically injured were airlifted to Government Medical College Hospitalin Jammu for specialised treatment.

Officials said the mob also set afire nine government offices and 2 shops besides 12 vehicles.

Curfew was clamped in the town on the intervening night of September 13 and 14 in view of the tense situation following clashes between protesters and police that left 20 people injured on Monday.

Additional police and para-military forces have been deployed in the sensitive areas of the border town with strict curfew restrictions.

In Rajouri district,a bandh was observed today on a call given by Muslim Coordination Committee (MCC) in protest against the alleged desecration of the holy book in the US recently.

Traffic was off the road and shops and market places closed,they said,adding no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere in the district.

The district administration has closed all educational institutions in five tehsils of Kalakote,Darhal,Bhudal,Thanamandi and Rajouri today as a precautionary measure.

Prohibitory order continues in Kishtwar in the wake of violent clashes which left three persons,including a policeman,injured.