Massive protests rock Jammu region over killings of BJP leader, his brother
Massive protests rocked Jammu division Friday against the killings of senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. Protests were reported in Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur, Ramban, Kathua, Bhaderwah and Samba areas of the region. In Jammu city, BJP and Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers thronged various roads in Kachichawani, Trikuta Nagar, Rehari and Bohri areas and blocked traffic for brief periods. They set ablaze tyres and raised anti-Pakistan slogans demanding the elimination of the terrorists involved in the killings. Protests were also reported in Bhaderwah, Udhampur, Reasi, Katra, Chenani, Samba, Kathua, Akhnoor, R S Pura and Basholi areas. There was a shutdown in old Jammu city and various other places in the region. "The protests were held at several places in the region, but they were peaceful. There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere," a police official said. Earlier in the day, the Indian Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town of the state where suspected militants killed BJP secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother Ajeet Parihar, 55, on Thursday night. "The Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town in order to maintain law and order," District Magistrate Angrez Singh Rana told PTI. He said that a curfew imposed in the area on Thursday night was still in place and additional security personnel had been deployed. Rana added that no untoward incidents had been reported. Following the killings, people had staged protests in the communally-sensitive town and manhandled senior police officials. The district magistrate had requested the Army to control the security situation in the town and its adjoining areas. He took the decision as he apprehended that violence might erupt and result in law and order problem, endangering the life and property of citizens of Kishtwar town. Kishtwar district had witnessed communal clashes in the past. Terrorists had 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. The killings of Parihar brothers drew severe condemnation from all quarters. The senior BJP leader and his brother were killed when they were returning home after closing their stationery shop located outside old DC office complex, officials said. As two were walking towards their home in Parihar mohalla through a dark lane in Tapal Mohalla, they were fired upon from a close range by suspected militants around 8.40 pm, they said. The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home, they said. PTI
