Jammu, Muslim stones a Hindu temple. Police impose curfew
The man desecrated the temple of Aap Shamboo in Roop Nagar area. He is mentally unstable and since 2008 has been receiving treatment at a psychiatric clinic. The police rushed to the spot but an agent assaulted the priest of the temple. The chief minister invites everyone to calm, trying to defuse the tension between the communities.
Srinagar (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Police in Jammu and Kashmir have imposed a curfew in large areas of the Indian state, after violence was unleashed last night in Jammu City following the desecration of a Hindu temple. According to authorities, a Muslim man with learning disabilities threw stones at the temple of Aap Shamboo in Roop Nagar area. The man's gesture sparked community protests and fierce clashes with the police lasted all night. Even the priest of the temple was caught up in the clashes, assaulted by a policeman.
Mehbooba Mufti, chief minister of the state, appeared on television and appealed for calm to the entire population. The incident happened last night, when a 25-year-old man, identified as Mohammed Yasir, threw stones at the windows and walls of the temple. His brother later said that the attacker has been in treatment since 2008 at a psychiatric clinic, from which he escaped in the evening.
Yasir was detained by police, but it was not enough to quell the spirits of the protesters, who burned two police vans.
A report has been filed against unknown persons, while the policeman guilty of assaulting the priest was arrested. Meanwhile the curfew is still in place and the state government has restricted communications by blocking Internet access for mobile phones.
Mufti attempted to defuse the tension between the Hindu and Muslim communities, and said: "The Jammu and Kashmir is the most secular place [in India], must not be hijacked by the extremist forces. Some stubborn elements are creating sectarian tension, but the people of Jammu must remain united irrespective of their religion ".
.png)
