Stone pelting, Pakistani flags back in Srinagar as Modi visits Jammu

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Jammu to mark the birth centenary of Girdhari Lal Dogra, the Nowhatta area near Srinagar witnessed heavy stone pelting  while the police fired tear gas shells to control the mob.

The youth who ensured that their faces were masked also unfurled Pakistani and Islamic State flags. The demonstrations started soon after Friday prayers concluded at the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area.

Even as the state administration is seeking to downplay the incident, calling it recurring and done by some youngsters to attract attention, the frequency of such incidents have only been increasing of late. The demonstrators who gather in large numbers have consistently posed a huge problem for the security forces.

The frequency of such anti-India events have put the ruling BJP, which is sharing power with the People’s Democratic Party in the state in an awkward position. The BJP alleges that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has not been doing enough to keep these anti-India elements at bay.

The Nowhatta area in Srinagar has become notorious for repeated violent demonstrations with demonstrators shouting pro-Pakistan slogans and flags mostly after the noon prayers on Friday. Pitched battles are often fought on the streets with the police resulting in many injuries and even deaths at times.