Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 2, 2008
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Curfew_persists_in_Jammu_Army_called_in/articleshow/3317762.cms
The Army has been called in Jammu and Samba
in order to ensure that no further violent protest takes place in the region.
Protests against the forest land transfer
to Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) took an ugly turn on Friday when two
protesters were killed and scores of others injured in police firing at Samba
and clashes with policemen across Jammu region.
Those killed have been identified as Sunil
and Yougal Samyal.
The events took place even after Governor
NN Vohra announced the shrine board will be handed back the responsibility
of running the annual yatra.
Army was called tonight in Samba and the unit
conducted a flag march. Though curfew was imposed in Jammu and Samba, protesters
openly defied the orders and fought pitched battles with police and also set
afire a police station.
Meanwhile, the Shri Amarnathji Yatra Sangarsh
Samiti has declared it would hold no further talks with Vohra over the Amaranth
land row. The Samiti has been spearheading a stir in the Jammu region for
a month demanding restoration of land to SASB and removal of Vohra.
"We have decided not to hold any talks
with the governor over the Amarnath land dispute as there is no blueprint
to resolve the issue," Samiti spokesperson Tilak Raj Sharma said.
Jammu is boiling for the last one month since
protests broke out demanding restoration of the land transfer order.
On Friday, Schools, businesses and other institutions
have been closed and curfew was reimposed as fresh violence erupted following
the arrival of National Conference patron and former CM of Jammu and Kashmir
Farooq Abdullah and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu.
Amaranth protesters clashed with cops at various
places leaving over 10 people including two policemen injured. They also burned
a Panjtirthi police post.
More than 1,000 Hindu activists had laid a
siege around Jammu Airport once they came to know that Farooq and Mehbooba
had landed from Srinagar. The two remained stranded at the airport for more
than two-and-half hours. Finally they were escorted by a massive police team
to the Raj Bhavan.
Some activists of the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh
Samiti (SASS) parked trucks on the main road leading to the Raj Bhavan to
block the passage. They also demonstrated outside the Raj Bhavan at Panjtirthi
raising slogans against governor N N Vohra, Mehbooba, Farooq and Omar Abdullah.
They burned effigies of NC and PDP leaders and flags during protests across
the city.
Agitators also tried to enter Raj Bhavan but
were prevented by police. Violent protests also took place at the Parade and
Purani Mandi areas where agitated mobs pelted stones besides targeting the
police personnel with firecrackers. There were demonstrations and road blocks
at various places.
The Centre has also refused to support BJP's
demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir government's order allotting
land on a temporary basis to Amarnath Shrine Board to build shelters for Shiva
devotees who throng the state for a darshan.
Centre's stance was conveyed to BJP leader
L K Advani and his colleague Arun Jaitley by PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday
evening. "This will lead to complications," Singh is learnt to have
told his visitors. The PM had called Advani and Jaitley over to discuss the
volatile situation.
