Kashmiri truck driver killed in stonepelting in J&K, 1 held

A truck driver was killed in a stone pelting incident in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, police said.

Noor Mohammed Dar, who hailed from Bijbehara, was attacked by stonepelters on Sunday after his truck was mistaken as a security vehicle.

Dar, who sustained head injuries, was referred to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar, where the doctors declared him brought dead. Police said the stone pelter has been identified and arrested.

Meanwhile, the government continues to maintain that there is normalcy in Kashmir. The Congress has slammed the Centre's claim after a party delegation was prevented from visiting Srinagar.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said there was nothing more "political" and "anti-national" than the alleged "shutting down" of democratic rights of people in Kashmir.

The Congress also slammed Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik's remarks defending the communication blackout in the state. Malik said it helped "save lives".

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Malik should be made the Bharatiya Janata Party's President in J&K for his "behaviour and statements are more like that of a BJP leader".