Truck conductor's death: J&K Govt appeals for communal harmony

In the wake of the death of truck conductor Zahid Bhat, who was allegedly attacked by a mob at Udhampur on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on October 9, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Sunday appealed to the people of the state to maintain peace and communal harmony.

"A petrol bomb was hurled at him a week ago, and he is no more now. My sympathies are with his family. We condemn the incident. I appeal to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony. In future, we will ensure that no such incidents occur," Singh told the media here.

The attack has been seen by many as an after-effect of a beef party hosted by independent legislator Engineer Rashid in Srinagar.

Five out of the eight people, who have been accused of being involved in the attack on a truck on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Udhampur, have been booked under the Public Safety Act on Sunday after the police arrested seven persons for criminal assault on the truck driver.

Meanwhile, the locals staged a protest over the death of Bhat, who suffered burn injuries along with the driver, and was shifted Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

The incident led to an uproar in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Saturday, with the opposition seeking a reply from the ruling BJP-PDP government.