Curfew was imposed at the district headquarters of Poonch in Jammu division on Friday following eruption of communal tension over what the officials called an incident of ‘inter-community elopement’.
Inspector General of Police Jammu Rajesh Kumar Yadav told The Hindu that curfew was imposed as a precautionary measure after “minor clashes” between the people of two communities. He said that a girl, reportedly over 20 years of age, married a man belonging to a different community last week. It led to some tension as the members of the girl’s community demanded that the man be arrested and the girl be returned to her parents.
On Thursday, an auto driver from the bridegroom’s community allegedly slapped a woman of from the bride’s community over some minor issue on the outskirts of the garrison town situated close to the LoC. It immediately stoked a fresh wave of communal tension. When the shops and schools opened on Friday, angry and violent groups from the other community attacked the shops and a madrassa. In retaliation, the men from other community shouted slogans and resorted to stone pelting.
Reports said that the men of a community struck a wave of terror while brandishing swords and taking motorcycle rides on the streets in Poonch town. They also attacked Degree College where the students of the first year of graduation were taking an examination. It was cancelled as all the students fled the hall and the college.
Deputy Commissioner imposed curfew and called Army and CRPF to restore peace. Army carried out a flag march in the forenoon which forced the warring groups to disperse.
DIG Poonch-Rajouri was personally monitoring the situation in Poonch. Officials maintained that nobody was injured in the clashes.
However, independent reports said that at least a dozen people of the two sides sustained minor injuries. Over a dozen of shops, hotels and a madrassa were also damaged in the clashes.
