Protesting against the government for revoking the order on the transfer of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), demonstrators stopped vehicular movement on the roads and clashed with the police.

The protesters pelted stones at the police personnel. The police lathi-charged and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the agitating mob. The police opened fired at protesters at Mira Sahib, Rehari and Kaluchak areas of the Jammu region.

Firing also took place at Muthi, where three persons received bullet injuries. The injured, identified as Vikramjit Sharma (29), Chunilal (36) and Ramesh Chadra Dubay, were shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, where their condition is said to be critical.

The cops, who received injuries, were taken to nearby military hospital. Condition of one of them is critical.

On Jammu-Akhnoor road, unruly crowd tried to stop vehicular traffic, said eyewitnesses. The mob later caught hold of the some police personnel and threw their service rifle in a stream.

“We were holding peaceful demonstration and as we tried to stop the vehicular traffic on the road, the police fired at us in which three of our men were critically injured,” said Satish Kumar, a local resident.

As the report of police firing spread across the city, people in large number came out of their house to join the protest.

K. Rajindera, IGP Jammu range, said the police fired at protesters in “self defence.”

“The mob has totally outnumbered the police. They attacked the police party with stones and even snatched the service rifle of the policemen and beat them up. Half a dozen policemen were injured.” Rajindera said.

Later in the day, Panters Party chairman Bhim Singh visited the injured in the hospital. He condemned the police action against the protesters and demanded removal of the state government. “Police firing on protesters is state terrorism,” he said.