Jammu: Curfew was relaxed for four hours Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar town where it was imposed as a precautionary measure on Thursday night following the killing of a senior BJP leader and his brother by suspected militants, officials said.
District Development Commissioner, Kishtwar, Angrez Singh Rana said an area-wise relaxation was given in the curfew-bound regions of the town from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm initially and then from 3 pm to 5 pm.
“The relaxation period passed off peacefully as people came out of their houses and purchased essential commodities,” he told PTI.
The district authorities had on Saturday given two hour relaxation in the curfew to allow people to buy essential commodities.
An indefinite curfew was imposed in parts of Kishtwar and Doda districts on Thursday following the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, 55, by suspected militants.
The curfew was, however, lifted from Doda district, including the main town and Bhadarwah along with Paddar and Chatroo sub-divisions of Kishtwar district on Saturday, but section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) continued to remain in force in these areas as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
The killing of the Parihar brothers triggered massive protests across Jammu region following which the authorities suspended internet services in the curfew-bound areas, while the internet speed was slowed down in the rest of the division, including the winter capital Jammu.
However, the internet speed was restored in Jammu and other parts of the division Saturday evening.
The Army also staged a flag march in the sensitive areas to help the district administration in Kishtwar maintain law and order.
On Thursday, the Parihar brothers were walking towards their home in Parihar mohalla through a dark lane in Tapal Mohalla when they were fired upon from a close range by suspected militants around 8.40 pm. The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home.
The government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the killing and directed it to expedite the investigation and submit its report as early as possible.
