Udhampur attack: Two more arrested, taking total to nine

Two more accused in connection with the Udhampur national highway attack on October 9 has been arrested, taking the total number arrests to nine.

Udhampur District Magistrate Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary said earlier that five people involved in the attack, in which two persons sustained critical burn injuries, were booked under the Public Safety Act. 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.

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

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.