Normal life was affected in several parts of Jammu province on Tuesday due to the bandh called by several political parties to protest the killing of 32 Hindus in Doda and Udhampur districts.

Jammu: Militants kill 22 in Doda

Shops and business establishments were closed and private vehicles remained off the roads in response to the bandh call given by National Conference, Bharatiya Janata Party, Panthers Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Educational institutions also remained closed while attendance in government offices and other public sector undertakings was thin. Party activists were seen closing shops in the by lanes of the old city, official sources said, adding that no untoward incident was reported in the city or its outskirts.

Police has been deployed in many areas of the city to maintain law and order, they said. A bandh is also being observed in Ramban, Batote, Kishtwar in Doda district and parts of Udhampur, the sources said.

A peace march was taken out in Doda district, where 19 Hindus were killed, to express solidarity with families of the victims. Members of the separatist Jammu and Kashmir [Images] Liberation Front (JKLF) outfit also took part in the peace march as protestors carrying black flags appealed to people to support the kin of the deceased in their hour of crisis.

Speaking to reporters, JKLF leader Yaseen Malik said the killings were 'an un-Islamic step and those responsible for it should be punished.'