Omar meets Rajnath, urges to ensure safety of Kashmiri students, traders

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and sought his intervention to ensure safety of Kashmiri students and traders in various parts of the country.

In his 30-minute-long meeting with the home minister, Abdullah also requested Singh to make sure that peace returns to the Jammu region where violent protests erupted after a suicide attack in Kashmir's Pulwama district killed 40 CRPF jawans.

"Just met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Sb to personally pay my condolences for the tragic deaths in Pulwama on Thursday. I requested him to take all steps necessary to ensure Jammu remains calm (sic)," Omar wrote on Twitter.

"I took the opportunity to inform Rajnath Singh Sb of the reports I had received of Kashmiri students & others being threatened/harassed and requested him to appoint a nodal officer in HMO India to ensure the directive issued to states is followed in letter & spirit (sic)," he said.

Some Kashmiri youths studying in Uttarakhand have alleged that they were harassed and have been asked by their landlords to vacate accommodations fearing attacks on their properties in the aftermath of the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir on Thursday.

"I'm grateful that Rajnath Singh Sb gave me time at very short notice & his response to my requests was extremely positive," Omar said.

The curfew in Jammu city continued for the second day and the Army's presence was stepped up on Saturday.

Forty CRPF personnel were killed and five injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday by a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber in South Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Massive protests and candlelight marches were held on Friday in different parts of the country against the attack and curfew was imposed in Jammu city following violence during demonstrations there.