Curfew declared in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar after murders of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother

Authorities have clamped curfew in the hilly Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir fearing communal clashes after a top state BJP leader and his brother were shot dead outside their home on Thursday night.

Anil Parihar, the state secretary of BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, and his brother, Ajit Parihar, were passing through a dark alley in Tapal area of their home town Kishtwar on Thursday night when two unidentified gunmen allegedly shot them from a close range.

“Anil died on the spot while his brother was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” Kishtwar SSP  Rajinder Gupta said, adding that the identity of the killers is yet to be ascertained.

If the killing had taken place in Kashmir Valley, officials would have blamed militants for the act. But why the police and district administration did not jump the gun because Hindu-Muslim riots have been part of its tattered history of the district in Chenab Valley of Jammu region.

Residents told Firstpost that the gunmen fled the spot after shooting the duo taking advantage of the darkness. “When we ran towards the car after hearing the gunshots in Tapal, no one was there,” Sanjeev Parihar, the cousin of the senior BJP leader, said late on Thursday night.

Reports said the BJP leader was killed outside his residence at around 8.30 pm. Both the brothers reportedly were returning their home from a stationery shop that Ajit ran outside the old DC Office Complex in Kishtwar.

The SSP said the killings took place in a densely populated area of Kishtwar known as Tapal Mohallah.

As the doctors declared both the Parihar brothers dead, the supporters of the BJP leader, in a fit of rage, allegedly ransacked the hospital and broke windows. Massive demonstrations were taken out through the market of Kishtwar to protest the murders, eyewitnesses and police said.

The scene outside the hospital, according to eyewitnesses, was chaotic and hundreds of people thronged the hospital where the bodies of the BJP leader Anil and his brother Ajit were kept for medico-legal formalities.

The angry supporters of the deceased BJP leader, also raised anti-Pakistan slogans besides demanding arrest of the people involved in the killing of the two brothers.

The vehicle of SSP Gupta came under attack as the mob pelted stones on it and protesters in many parts of the town clashed with the police.

The district administration has imposed curfew saying that due to the murder of of the Parihar brothers by some “unidentified miscreants”, there are apprehensions that the situation might turn ugly. Authorities have also deployed paramilitary and police forces in strength in all the sensitive areas to keep the situation under control.

Kishtwar, which is 226 kilometres from the winter capital Jammu, has been communally polarised for a long time. The latest communal riots broke out in the region in August 2013, between Hindus and Muslims during Eid congregation. A minor scuffle between a policeman, assigned to a local BJP leader, and a Muslim group, triggered communal frenzy in the town.

In the violence and arson that ensued, three people were killed and more than 30 were injured. Property worth lakhs of rupees was reduced to ashes and the army had to be deployed in the town to put an end to the violence.

The pot has been boiling for some time in the district and in recent months, communal divide has only worsened.

On Thursday, the angry protesters also entered into heated arguments with the SSP of Kishtwar, who was pushed by the protesters and forced to leave the main building of the hospital complex where the bodies of the two brothers were brought for post-mortem.

“Keeping in view the prevailing situation in Kishtwar town after the murders of of Anil Parihar by some miscreants/unknown persons on 1 November, 2018 evening, there is an apprehension of some incident regarding peace and tranquility by way of mobilising unlawful assemblies,” the Kishtwar collector, who is also the district magistrate, stated while imposing curfew.

Top political leaders including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh have condemned the killing, though the police is yet to ascertain the motive behind the double murder.

“My heart goes out to the bereaved family. Spoke to adviser to Jammu and Kashmir governor, Vijay Kumar, regarding the incident. The police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Singh wrote on his Twitter handle.

Former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah took to twitter and wrote: “Very sad news. My condolences to Anil and Ajit Parihar’s family and colleagues. May their souls rest in peace.”

National Conference’s provincial president Devender Singh Rana condemned the killing as “barbaric, inhuman and most unfortunate.”

“Violence has no place in a civilised society,” Rana said, expressing concern over the incident and hoped that the people will together meet the “challenge posed by elements inimical to peace and tranquility”.