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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hdl who wrote (13105)	3/31/2002 9:37:33 PM
From: hdl	Respond to of 23908

Indian Shops Protest Temple Attack By BINOO JOSHI .c The Associated Press JAMMU, India (AP) - Shops were closed and streets deserted in parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday after Hindu hardline groups called a two-day strike to protest an attack on a temple by suspected Islamic militants. At least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured when the militants, armed with grenades and guns, attacked the 150-year-old Hindu temple in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, on Saturday. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, called for the shutdown on Sunday in response to the shooting inside the temple complex. The Islamic Front, a Pakistan-based Islamic group, later claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to The Associated Press office in Jammu. On Sunday, a group of Hindus attacked a taxi carrying six British and Japanese tourists, pulling out the Muslim driver and beating him badly, said Paula Azad, a British tourist. Azad said she, the other tourists and their Muslim guide suffered bruises when the group of at least two dozen people pelted them with stones for protesting the assault, which occurred when their taxi was stopped at Udhampur, 55 miles north of Jammu. The group was traveling from Jammu to Srinagar, the state's summer capital. ``I saw the police and shouted for help but no one came forward,'' Azad said. Police in Srinagar declined comment. In Jammu, however, there were no reports of violence as police deployed additional forces in to prevent an outbreak of violence, a police official said speaking on condition of anonymity. The test for the police will come on Monday if Hindu hard-liners attempt to prevent people from going about their business as schools and offices reopen, he said. Prayers in memory of the people killed in the attack were conducted in the temple on Sunday after Hindu priests and volunteers washed away blood stains from Saturday's shootout. There was no structural damage to the temple, except for some bullet marks on the walls, a temple priest said. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Pakistan-based militants who are carry out attacks in Kashmir in attempt to win independence or a merger with Pakistan. Islamabad says it supports the militant's cause but denies helping them. AP-NY-03-31-02 1314EST Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. .