Curfew was imposed in Kishtwar town in Jammu after protests erupted against the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother by suspected militants on Thursday evening.
Parihar was a protected person due to militant threats. At the time of the attack, Parihar's personal security officers were not with him.
Parihar had been active in Kishtwar politics since the peak of militancy and had taken part in the BJP’s Doda Bachao Andolan during which national party leaders had also courted arrest in Jammu in the 1990s.
Parihar was considered close to senior BJP leaders from Jammu such as Dr. Jitendra Singh, a minister of state in the Narendra Modi government, and Sunil Sharma, who was elected MLA from Kishtwar on a BJP ticket in the last elections. In a tweet, Jitendra Singh said he was deeply shocked by the ''killing of a dear party colleague and his brother. No words to express the grief. Rushing to Kishtwar at the earliest. That is the only thought on my mind.''
Parihar had campaigned for both men during the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
Police sources said they were trying to identify the attackers who killed Parihar and his brother.
Kishtwar is a communally sensitive district due to the near-equal population ratio between the two major religious communities.
The deputy commissioner issued an order for the imposition of curfew in the area after angry mobs turned violent and reportedly manhandled senior superintendent of police Kishtwar Rajinder Gupta and a local station house officer Sameer Jeelani at a hospital after the killing of Parihar on Thursday night. Both the police officers were said to be injured and undergoing treatment.
Police have been in the township to maintain order while internet has also been suspended as a precautionary measure.
The targeted killing of Parihar happened days before the nine-phase panchayat polls in the state resumes on November 17.
The BJP leader's killing is likely to polarise the voters on communal lines although Parihar commanded some support among Muslims of the area also.
