JKNT
Jammu, Sep 25:
Curfew to continue in Kishtwar town till Monday and it will only lift after review of the situation, the senior police officers said.
Earlier, civil administration imposed curfew in the communally sensitive Kishtwar town on Sunday early morning after tensions gripped in the town on late Saturday night.
The situation became tense when police have arrested three persons including two Hurriyat leaders for anti-national sloganeering in the months of July and August, 2016. During the arrest of these three, announcements were made on loudspeakers asking people to join protests on Sunday morning. Following this, administration imposed curfew in the town.
SSP Kishtwar, Sandeep Wazir said that curfew has imposed in Kishtwar town since Sunday morning and still continue. “The situation is calm in the town and well under control. There is no violation of curfew at any place and curfew is imposed in only Kishtwar town, not in entire district,” he added.
“Curfew will continue till Monday morning and only lift after review of the situation,” added the SSP.
The arrested persons have been identified as Abdul Qayoom Mattoo, a local Hurriyat leader and Imam of a local mosque in Omar mohalla, Saifuddin Bhagwan, a member of the Kishtwar’s Majlis-e-Shoura and Firdous Bhagwan, again a local Hurriyat leader, both are aged persons of over 60 years. Another Qari Manzoor, however, escaped before police raided his residence, but later arrested.
The three persons were among nearly 30 people booked by police on charges of sedition for raising anti-India sloganeering on different occasion during protests organized after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Burhan Wani on July 8 in South Kashmir.
Senior police and civil administration officials said that it was due to timely action by police and civil administration that saved the situation from taking an ugly turn in the communally sensitive Kishtwar district, where three people were killed, over 80 injured and property worth crores torched during communal clashes in 2013.
SSP Kishtwar immediately swung into action on Saturday late night and took control of the situation and assured that the tensions erupted with the arrest of three local persons would not be spread in the entire district and in the other parts of the state. After imposing curfew to avoid protests on Sunday morning, for which already call was given in Kishtwar, the administration and police imposed curfew in the town and also suspended mobile phone and internet services with immediate effect.
