Modi takes on Omar Govt. for detaining leaders visiting riot-hit Kishtwar

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at the Jammu and Kashmir Government for not allowing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley and other opposition members from visiting riot-hit Kishtwar district, and termed the decision 'undemocratic'.

"Landed in Hyderabad. Heard that Shri Arun Jaitley and other Opposition leaders are not allowed to go to Kishtwar. This is undemocratic," Modi tweeted.

"Stopping Opposition leaders in this manner shows that the Government does not want the truth about the Kishtwar violence to come out," he added in his tweet.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley was detained at the Jammu airport earlier in the day as he arrived to visit Kishtwar.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti was also not allowed to visit Kishtwar in view of the escalating violence.

"My cavalcade has been stopped at the security line. You have seen so many policemen standing at the gate. Nobody seems to be in control of the situation, which is very unfortunate," she told media in Srinagar.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has appealed to people of the state to dismiss rumours and cooperate with the administration in order to bring the current situation under control.

Abdullah, who was speaking in Srinagar, also asked people not to fall a prey to politics and assured that justice will be done.

"Our main aim was to maintain calm in Kishtwar and surrounding areas. We will do everything that is necessary to maintain peace in Kishtwar. Swift action will follow and people responsible for the death will be brought to book with strict punishment," he added.

Abdullah's remarks came in the wake of the recent clashes in Kishtwar and in various regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kishtwar remained curfew-bound for the third consecutive day today after communal violence broke out in the city on Friday.

Curfew was today clamped in three more districts of Udhampur, Samba and Kathua in Jammu region and Army staged flag marches as tension prevailed following outbreak of communal violence in Kishtwar.