Curfew extended in J&K's Bhaderwah, additional forces deployed outside mosques ahead of Friday prayers

Bhaderwah/Jammu: Curfew continues in Bhaderwah town of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda for the ninth day as additional forces have been deployed outside mosques across the district before the Friday prayers as a precautionary measure, officials said. The curfew in Bhaderwah town was imposed on June 9 following communal tension in the wake of protests over the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad by now-removed BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and some social posts by local right-wing activists in her support.

The curfew was relaxed twice for a total of five hours in the town - from 9 am to 12 pm and 3 pm to 5 pm - Thursday last week and this period passed off peacefully without any untoward incident, police said.

Officials said senior police and civil officers reviewed the situation and decided to continue the curfew without any relaxation in the town to ward off any trouble during the Friday prayers.

"A decision to relax the curfew will be taken later in the day after the peaceful culmination of the Friday prayers," an official said, adding additional forces were deployed outside mosques across the Doda district as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.

One person was arrested and nine others were detained for creating communal tension over the past week following the registration of three FIRs at the local police station. A lookout notice was also pasted at the house of an accused who is evading arrest despite raids at several places in Bhaderwah, the officials said.

Assuring full cooperation to the administration, Anjuman-e-Islamia sought the arrest of all those behind fanning communal hatred. "People from only one community were arrested or detained so far but those belonging to other communities, who provoked the people through social media posts, have been let off. One among them has sought an anticipatory bail," an office-bearer of the religious group said.

Meanwhile, in the Jammu district, too, policemen were deployed in strength outside mosques with a direction to not allow any street protest after the Friday prayers, officials said. Protests were witnessed in different parts of the city, including Gujjar Nagar, Talab Khatikan and Bathindi over the past week against the remarks on the Prophet.