M A I N   N E W S

Amarnath Land Row
Samba, Jammu on boil: 2 killed, 50 hurt
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 1
Fresh violence gripped Samba and Jammu districts today leaving two persons dead and 50 injured.

In Samba, protesters defied curfew and clashed with the police.

In retaliatory action, the police lathi-charged, lobbed tear gas shells and fired gunshots to disperse the protesters. Two persons were killed and over 20 injured.

The protesters held Samba deputy commissioner Sourav Bhagat hostage at his official residence along with his family.

Those killed have been identified as Sunil Singh, a resident of Garh Mandi, and Jugal Kishore, a resident of Kaily Mandi.

Around 10,000 protesters assembled at the Main Chowk in Samba on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway. The trouble broke out when the protesters didn’t heed to the administration’s demand to lift the road blockade.

When the police tried to intervene, the agitators turned violent and started pelting stones.

Four persons were referred to the Government Medical College, Jammu, in a critical condition. Those killed were among the critically injured. Their bodies have been kept at the GMC mortuary.

In Jammu, fresh clashes erupted following the arrival of National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in the city.

An angry mob clashed with the police and set afire a police post at the Panjtirthi area near Raj Bhawan. However, the fire was extinguished in time and the cops managed to escape unhurt.

The police lobbed tear gas shells, cane-charged and even fired in the air to disperse the mob. Over 30 persons, including policemen, sustained injuries in the pitched battle that lasted for hours. The administration immediately re-imposed curfew in the entire district.

Earlier, scores of protesters laid siege to the Jammu Airport soon after they came to know that Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have reached the winter capital for a meeting with Governor N.N. Vohra over the Amarnath land row.

The news of their arrival spread like a wild fire and the agitators started gathering on the roads leading to the airport.

They virtually held both these leaders “hostage” at the airport for over a couple of hours.

They also reportedly tried to block the road to the Governor’s residence by parking tractors on the way.

As the administration had a tough time dealing with the situation, it contemplated taking Abdullah and Mufti to Raj Bhawan on a state helicopter.

However, finally both the leaders were taken to Raj Bhawan from some alternative route.

There were also reports of the situation taking a communal turn at Kanhachak and Jhiri villages, where some people reportedly set afire makeshift hutments of Gujjars. However, the police reached the spot in time and defused the situation.

Jammu SSP S.D.S. Jamwal said all the companies of the Jammu and Kashmir Police have been deployed in the sensitive areas.