Curfew in Jammu after communal clashes in Kishtwar
The Jammu and Kashmir government today made the first arrests for the communal violence in Kishtwar which began on Friday, amid a raging political blame-game between the state's ruling National Conference, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Centre.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, criticized for not controlling the violence, accused the BJP of being "hypocrites" and ignoring major lapses by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2002 when his state was lacerated by riots.
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At least 11 people have been arrested for the clashes which broke out in the Kishtwar area of Jammu province on Eid day, killing three persons. Two policemen were also reportedly arrested.
In Parliament, the BJP's Arun Jaitley ardently objected to his detention in Kashmir yesterday by the state government to keep him from visiting Kishtwar. He compared it to "censorship" and said, "Kashmir is not the private property of one family."
Omar's father, Farooq Abdullah, rebutted Mr Jaitley in Parliament saying, "Nobody was allowed into Gujarat after the riots... it's not the property of Modi." He was referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots under the watch of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, expected to be named presumptive prime minister of the BJP.
On Twitter, Omar Abdullah said, "Their star PM hopeful waited days to call out the army & has yet to apologise. Hypocrites."
The J&K chief minister found some support from the Centre. Acting Home Minister P Chidambaram defended the decision not to allow Mr Jaitley to visit Kishtwar, saying the forces on ground were the best judge. He pointed out that there was "strict curfew" and rejected the BJP's contention that curfew cannot impede the visit of a leader of Mr Jaitey's stature. "It is status neutral," he said.
The state's junior Home Minister and Kishtwar legislator Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, who was reportedly present when the clashes began, resigned till an inquiry by a retired judge is completed. Responding to BJP allegations that he had a hand in allowing the violence to spiral, Mr Kichloo said: "My conscience is hurt."
Opposition parties have alleged that the Kashmir government was warned by intelligence agencies of escalating tension, and that the army was called in too late to help restore law and order.
Mr Jaitley told NDTV: "Why did the violence go unabated for six-seven hours? Somebody has to be accountable. What was the state Home Minister doing there? What were the district collector and Senior Superintendent of Police doing there? Is there a connivance of the state government?"
Curfew remains in force in six districts of Jammu region and schools and colleges remained shut today. Internet connectivity on mobile phones was snapped in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
The state administration said such measures were being taken in a bid to prevent the spread of rumours in the wake of the communal violence in Kishtwar
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