Muslims in Kishtwar to join last rites of slain BJP leader

Muslim preachers in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Friday urged the community to participate in the cremation of slain Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Parihar and his brother.

During the Friday congregational prayers, Imam of Kishtwar Jamia Masjid Farooq Kitchloo appealed to the Muslim community to join the cremation of the Parihar brothers as a mark of unity between the two communities.

Unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening killed the senior BJP leader and his brother in Tappal Gali area of Kishtwar, when the two were returning home after closing their shop.

Police has detained two security guards of the BJP State Secretary who had not been accompanying him when the assassins struck.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP President Amit Shah have condemned the attack saying it was an act of frustration to disturb the communal harmony in the Chinab Valley and other places.

Singh also assured the bereaved family that the police "will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice".

--IANS

sq/ahm/sed