Probe will be held into Kishtwar clashes: J&K Govt

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir has government said that the communal clashes which occurred in Kishtwar on Friday will be thoroughly probed as there was zero tolerance on such incidents in the state. "There is no room for tolerating the culprits of this incident (Kishtwar clashes). Nobody would be allowed to go scot free," state PHE and Irrigation Minister, Sham Lal Sharma, told reporters here on Friday night.

"There is a need to conduct a probe into it... There is communal polarisation in the entire state. "The first priority is how to deal with the situation and normalise it," Sharma said. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Housing Minister Raman Bhalla and National Conference (NC) MLC, Devender Rana. Meanwhile, responding to allegations about the involvement of Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo, behind the clashes, Sharma said, "Nobody is above the law... The rule of law will prevail." "Whosoever is responsible will be punished and we will ensure that it happens", Sharma said. One person was killed and over 20 injured, four of them critically, in communal clashes which broke out in Kishtwar district today. Curfew was clamped and Army had to be called in to assist the local administration in maintaining law and order in the area. The streets of Kishtwar saw ugly scenes as members of two communities attacked each other and engaged in widespread arson and torching of shops and vehicles. The deceased has been identified as Arvind Kumar, who suffered gunshot wounds when a group of protesters fired at him near a petrol pump. Kumar rushed to the Army hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. The four seriously injured persons have been admitted to the Army Command hospital at Udhampur. Trouble in the district, which lies 226km away fom Jammu, erupted this morning after a group of people raised anti-national slogans following Eid prayers, officials and locals said. PTI