Kishtwar kept out of bounds for oppn

• Arun Jaitley not allowed to proceed to strife-torn town
• Curfew imposed in Udhampur, Samba, Kathua districts

New Delhi (PTI): Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said not allowing opposition leaders in trouble-torn Kishtwar in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir is "undemocratic". "Heard that Arun Jaitley and other opposition leaders are not allowed to go to Kishtwar. This is undemocratic," Modi tweeted. He also said, "Stopping opposition leaders in this manner shows that the government does not want the truth about the Kishtwar violence to come out."

BJP leader Arun Jaitley was not allowed to proceed to Kishtwar after he landed at Jammu airport Sunday morning, and was requested to return. The indefinite curfew in Kishtwar ever since riots broke out on Friday has remained, without a break, for three days. Authorities also brought Jammu city and Rajouri town under curfew Saturday, in a bid to maintain law and order even as arson and tension spread to other parts of the state.

Curfew was clamped in five more districts in Jammu region and Army staged flag march. It was extended to Udhampur, Samba, Kathua and Bhaderwah town in Doda, affecting 8 out of 10 districts in Jammu region. One more body was found in Kishtwar, 226 kms from here, but authorities were yet to ascertain if he was a victim of violence. Curfew was imposed in Jammu and Rajouri districts and Army called out after some incidents of arson and violence last night. It was today extended to Udhampur, Samba and Kathua along with Bhaderwah town in Doda, thus affecting seven out of 10 districts of Jammu region.

Mobile Internet services were suspended. The mobile Internet connections were snapped this morning as rumours about fresh deaths and destruction in Kishtwar and other riot-hit areas in Jammu region started doing rounds on social networking sites. None of the officials of the state-owned BSNL or other private cellular operators were willing to comment on the suspension of the services.

However, police sources said the services shall remain suspended till the situation in Jammu region will stabilise as mobile Internet had been misused by miscreants to fan trouble in the Valley in the past. The mobile Internet services were earlier also snapped in the wake of hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and in the aftermath of Gool firing incident in which four persons were killed.

Omar hits out at BJP
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday accused the BJP of trying to flare up the situation in Kishtwar to polarise the population with an eye on 2014 elections to parliament and the assembly. “The government has taken a decision not to allow any political party or leaders be it from mainstream or separatists to visit the violence hit areas as it had the potential of deteriorating the situation.” "And that includes Arun Jaitley too," Omar said soon after the BJP leader was detained at Jammu.

Mehbooba placed under ‘house arrest’
Srinagar (PTI): PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti was on Sunday prevented from leaving her residence for a visit to communal violence-hit Kishtwar district in Jammu region by authorities. "A police team has been deployed outside the main gate of my residence and we are not being allowed to leave the premises," Mehbooba said.

The PDP president said she along with some other party colleagues wanted to visit Kishtwar town, which has been hit by communal violence since Eid on Friday. "My cavalcade has been stopped from reaching here (Gupkar residence of Mehbooba). Only my personnel security officer has been allowed to come in," she said.

The PDP president said she had a duty towards the people of the state as she is the leader of the opposition in the state assembly. "I have some duty towards the people as leader of opposition. Our visit to the area was with the aim of calming the frayed tempers. We are a responsible party," she added. Senior police officials refused to comment on the move to restrict the movement of the PDP president.