Section 144 withdrawn; phones and internet restored

Jammu: Section 144 (gathering of more than 4 people banned) has been withdrawn from Jammu Municipal limits. All school, and colleges will open on Friday, the Jammu Deputy Magistrate said in a notification.

Meanwhile, the authorities airlifted a fresh batch of 20 "potential troublemakers" from Srinagar to Agra, officials said.

After five days of security lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir, phone services and internet were partly restored and restrictions in movement were eased to facilitate Friday prayers.

The gates of the Jama Masjid in Srinagar were shut, indicating that prayers were unlikely in the city's main mosque.

However, prayers would be allowed in smaller mosques in the interiors, said officials, and enough personnel had been posted to ensure order.