A total shutdown was observed in Poonch town of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday following two suspected militant attacks in Rajouri district earlier this week, the Hindustan Times reported.
Two children had died after an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, exploded inside a house in Upper Dangri village of Rajouri on Monday. “The IED blast was a planned attack aimed at targeting senior officers [who were to reach the site],” Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh had said.
Officials said that the explosion took place near the house where four civilians were killed and six were injured on Sunday evening in a gun attack by suspected militants.
The call for the shutdown on Wednesday was given by Hindutva outfits Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Manch and Sanatan Dharam Sabha.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in Poonch as hundreds of demonstrators, braving cold weather, came out to protest against the killings.
Protestors blamed the local administration for the security lapse. “Terrorism is rearing its ugly head in the Jammu region, but the administration is not bothered about the safety and security of the people,” said Manoj Kumar, one of the protesters in Poonch.
In Kathua, protestors blocked the highway at Kalibari, disrupting the movement of the traffic for an hour. Demonstrations were also held in Udhampur, Akhnoor, Katra, Reasi, Samba, Kishtwar and Doda districts, PTI reported.
Amit the tense situation, 18 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, comprising around 1,800 personnel, are being rushed to Rajouri, ANI reported. The Army, the police and the CRPF have launched a joint operation to find those who carried out the attacks.
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