Two Kulgam youth, FCS&CA employee among 4 arrested for Kishtwar killings

Hindus, Muslims unite, observe complete shutdown in town

JAMMU: Making swift progress in the ongoing investigation in Kishtwar killings which claimed the lives of a senior BJP leader and his brother, the police have arrested four persons, two Kulgam youth who allegedly executed the crime, a government employee alleged of giving shelter to them, and one more person involved in the heinous crime.

Among them two person who allegedly shot dead the BJP State Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar on November 1, were arrested from Kulgam.

The duo has fled to Kulgam via Sinthan Top road after executing the murder, official sources told this scribe.

“It was an incident of terrorism,” they said, adding that growing popularity of the BJP in district Kishtwar can also be a factor in the crime.

The significant development took place two days before the Governor Satya Pal Malik said that the accused involved in killings of Parihar brothers have been identified and will be punished soon.

Governor Malik who was keenly following the investigation personally was apprised of the development two days before he issued statements during opening of Civil Secretariat (Darbar), in the winter capital of the state, sources informed.

Giving further details, the official sources said that the duo Kulgam-based youth (name withheld as investigation is in progress) had arrived in Kishtwar a few days ago.

“They stayed at the residence of a local who happens to be the employee in the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA).

“The FCS&CA employee took in confidence another local who had close affinity with the Parihar brothers. It was him who introduced the duo militant with the Parihar brothers projecting them as his relatives,” they revealed.

The said employee of FCS&CA is reportedly being on unauthorised absence since the day of killing.
“The department has issued notice to the employee (name withheld) for his unauthorized absence since November 1,” Director FCS&CA Amit Sharma informed The News Now when contacted.

Meanwhile official sources said that the police team has also lifted some other locals including employees of the FCS&CA for questioning for in-depth investigation.

It may be recalled that on November 1, at around 8:40 pm, Bharatiya Janata Party state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, 55, were shot at point blank range when they were walking towards their home in Parihar Mohalla, killing them on the spot.

Meanwhile, normal life in Kishtwar district and its surrounding areas was completely paralysed on Thursday as both the Hindu and Muslim communities jointly observed a bandh to protest against the killings in Kishtwar’s Tapal mohalla last week.

The call for bandh was given by Kishtwar’s Muslim Shoura Committee and Sanatan Dharam Sabha to press the administration and police to find out killers of both the brothers and get justice to the grieved families. They also expressed concern over the failure of police to protect the lives of innocent civilians.

Though the administration had lifted day curfew in the town and its outskirts, all shops and other business establishments belonging to both the communities remained closed and vehicular traffic off the roads during the day.

Eyewitnesses said that such a complete bandh was never witnessed in the town in the past three decades as whenever there had been such a call by one community, the other had opened its establishments.

The killings, which State Governor Satya Pal Malik described as “100 per cent terrorist activity’’, are seen as a major security lapse as not a single constable was deployed in the locality at that time even when it is located opposite the District Court Complex and has various government offices in its vicinity including Kishtwar police station.

The police have taken into custody two policemen who were deployed as PSOs with the deceased BJP leader but had not been accompanying him at the time of the attack. An empty shell of an AK rifle has also been seized from the site where the killings took place.

On Wednesday, Diwali in Kishtwar town remained a sombre affair as Hindus did not burst crackers nor purchased sweets following a call from Sanatan Dharam Sabha asking people not to celebrate Diwali.