Curfew continues in parts of Chenab Valley, Stone-pelting in Bhaderwah

• Normalcy soon
  We are holding talks with people and are hopeful of restoration of normalcy within the shortest possible time. Ramesh Kumar, jammu divisional commissioner
• No internet
  Broadband and mobile Internet services remained suspended in several areas, including Bhaderwah and Kishtwar towns. Officials have asked residents to avoid making “irresponsible comments” on social media platforms.
• Relaxation
  Patients and students are being allowed to go out amid curfew. We will have complete normalcy within a day or two. Mukesh Singh, Jammu ADGP

A curfew clamped in parts of Jammu’s Chenab valley continued to be in effect today, while a day-long shutdown called against recent remarks on Prophet Mohammad by two now-suspended BJP leaders (Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal) disrupted life in the Peer Panchal region, officials said.

In Bhaderwah, miscreants resorted to stone-pelting. Officials said no other untoward incident was reported in the region. Broadband and mobile internet services remained suspended in several areas, including Bhaderwah and Kishtwar towns, as a precautionary measure.

Advising people to avoid “irresponsible comments” on social media, a senior government official today said strict action as per law would be taken against those stoking communal tension in Jammu region’s Chenab valley. Asserting that the identification process of the accused was going on, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar said efforts were on to restore complete peace in the region with the cooperation of the public.

Kumar, along with Jammu ADGP Mukesh Singh, visited the curfew-bound areas of Doda and Kishtwar for the second day to take stock of the situation. “The situation is under control,” Kumar said. He said the police had registered FIRs and the identification process of the accused had been going on.

“We are holding talks with representatives of communities and are hopeful of restoration of normalcy within the shortest possible time,” he said.

The ADGP said, “We will have complete normalcy within a day or two with cooperation of the public. Directions have already been passed to allow patients reach hospitals and students appear in board examinations. Medical shops are also functioning normally.”

Sunil Gupta, DIG, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, took a round of Bhaderwah along with a contingent of cops and asked people to stay indoors. Efforts were intensified to defuse the tension by encouraging meetings between senior citizens of the two communities.

One such meeting was held in Bhaderwah under the chairmanship of District Development Council (DDC) chairman DS Kotwal, in which members of the Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha and representatives of the Sarafa Jamia Masjid Committee assured full cooperation to the administration in dealing with mischievous elements.

Reports from the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Peer Panchal region of Jammu spoke of a peaceful shutdown. Tension had mounted in Bhaderwah some areas of nearby Kishtwar and Ramban districts, prompting the authorities to impose restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC late on Thursday evening.