Curfews Imposed in Indian-Held Kashmir.

Curfews Imposed in Indian-Held Kashmir.

Soldiers on Sunday in Jammu, in the Indian-controlled

 portion of Kashmir, after rioting on Friday left two

 civilians dead. Strains between India and Pakistan

 have worsened recently.

NEW DELHI | 13 Aug 2013 ::  Indian forces and local authorities on Sunday enforced curfews in several towns in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir after rioting on Friday left two civilians dead.

Shops were closed and traffic was all but nonexistent in the city of Jammu on Sunday, according to the police in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Protests flared in parts of the state but only minor injuries to police officers and protesters were reported, the police said.

The clashes between Muslims and Hindus that erupted Friday after prayer services for the Id al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan added to the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the disputed region. Those strains have worsened over the past week after exchanges of gunfire and a still-murky attack on Tuesday, in which five Indian soldiers were killed.

India has blamed Pakistan’s army for the attack, a charge that Pakistan has denied. On Sunday there were more reports of gunfire.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P., declared a three-day strike for much of the region, and Arun Jaitley, a leader of the party, flew to Jammu on Friday to assess the situation. But state officials would not allow Mr. Jaitley to leave the airport, according to Indian news media reports, and he was forced to fly back to Delhi.

The B.J.P., the main opposition to the governing United Progressive Alliance, has criticized the Indian government for initially refusing to blame Pakistan for the deaths of the soldiers. The opposition party routinely criticizes the governing coalition for not being tough enough on Pakistan.(Courtesy:The New      York Times)