Four killed, 20 injured in Jammu after Quran protests

JAMMU - At least four people were killed and 20 injured in Jammu region’s Mendhar town Wednesday following clashes between police and crowds protesting the alleged desecration of the Quran in the US.

Irate mobs regrouped in the town and started targeting government buildings. The protestors attacked a police station and there were reports that the deaths triggered more protests in surrounding areas.

The administration has sought the help of paramilitary forces to contain the volatile situation in Mendhar, which is predominantly Muslim. Some of the injured are being shifted to hospitals in Rajouri and Jammu.

There were conflicting accounts of what led to the deaths in Mendhar, 210 km from here. While locals said the protestors died in police firing, police sources said they were killed in a stampede after police fired in the air.

The protests were against the alleged desecration of the Quran in the US last week. The demonstrators were intercepted by the police when they were proceeding towards a Christian missionary school.

The neighbouring town of Poonch where protests had broken out Tuesday continued to be tense, officials said.

Similar protests in the Kashmir Valley Wednesday led to mobs attacking a Christian missionary school and government buildings in Tangmarg town Monday. That day, 18 people were killed in the valley during protests that were initially triggered by fury over the reported desecration of the Quran.