Amarnath row: 13 injured, Army called in

More than 13 persons, including three policemen, were seriously injured...

More than 13 persons, including three policemen, were seriously injured on Saturday when pro-Amarnath protestors defied curfew restrictions in Jammu and Samba sectors and clashed with the police. The Army had to be called in to control the situation.

Tension prevailed across Jammu, as the bandh entered its tenth day. Protestors took to the streets shouting slogans against the state Government and Governor N N Vohra following the deaths of two youths, Jugal Kishore and Sunil Singh, who were killed in police firing on Friday in Samba.

According to sources, the police fired several rounds in the air to disperse the mob at Ratnal village near Bishnah town. “The police wielded batons and lobbed teargas shells but when they failed to control the situation, they fired in the air to disperse the mob,” said an eyewitness. The injured were shifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital.

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However, Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, K Rajendra Kumar, denied reports of police firing at Ratnal village. “The police fired only teargas shells and resorted to cane charge even after the mob turned violent. The region is tense but the situation is under control.”

In the evening, protesters clashed again with the police and CRPF personnel, forcing the police to fire another round of teargas shells. The violence in Jammu escalated after talks between the Governor and Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti failed on Thursday.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti, who arrived from New Delhi to address the press, was detained. However, she addressed a gathering later in the day. Sadhvi Ritambhara, who arrived in Jammu to inaugurate the pilgrimage to the Budha Amarnath in Poonch, was sent back from Jammu Airport.

The police stopped senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley at the airport also, but later he was allowed to enter the Jammu city, where he addressed a press conference.

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Despite the curfew restrictions, protests emerged in many parts of Jammu including Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Bantalab, Talab Tilloo, Panjtirthi, Nai Basti and Julaka Mohalla.