|
Bandh extended by five
days
The Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti today announced that the ongoing bandh had been extended by another five days. The bandh would now continue till August 8. The city has been reeling under a complete shutdown for the past 11 days. In the first phase of the agitation, the winter capital had remained shut for 10 days. |
300-km Jammu-Srinagar highway handed over
to the Army
A ban on SMSes “to check
rumours” in the Jammu region
|
Jammu, August 3
Even as curfew was clamped on Udhampur and Rajouri districts, the state government today sealed the offices of two cable TV networks, which resulted in a total blackout in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts. The authorities have also put a ban on SMSes "to check rumours" in the Jammu region.
The two networks — JK Channel and Take 1 — have been accused of “running provocative” programmes and fuelling the
Amarnath land row agitation. Teams of police and civil officials reached the offices of both cable TV networks in the morning and served them notices, saying that their channels were “running programmes and showing one-sided picture of the Jammu agitation, causing unrest among the people and provoking them”. Both these cable TV networks also have their setup in the Kashmir valley. However, a large number of protesters converged outside the JK Channel building in Digiana as soon as they came to know of the government move. They raised slogans against the authorities.
The police lobbed tear gas shells at a group of journalists who were there to cover the action against the channels. Ashwani Kumar of Aaj Tak has
been admitted to Government Medical College after he sustained injuries in the police action. A cameraman of NDTV, Ashu, was also thrashed. The angry mob allegedly beat up three cops, including an official. The Army was soon called in to control the situation.
Police and army personnel were also reportedly deployed outside the offices of two major Hindi dailies - Amar Ujala and Dainik Jagran, for a couple of hours. On the other hand, the restriction on the movement of mediapersons continued for the second consecutive day. With the authorities sealing the offices of both major cable TV networks, the people in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts now have no access to any entertainment or news channels. The distribution of newspapers has also taken a hit in the winter capital, as a section of the hawkers has stopped disbursing various dailies here, stating that they face harassment by the security forces in the absence of curfew passes.
Meanwhile, defying the curfew, the protesters clashed with the police at Roop Nagar locality of the city. The police resorted to teargassing and lathicharge in which over 10 persons sustained injuries. The protesters also targeted a Red Cross team on its way to Jammu after distributing relief material among those whose makeshift hutments were set afire at Kanhachak and Jhiri villages a couple of days back. Five members of the team sustained injuries in the attack.
Reports of protests were also reserved from Muthi, Sainik Colony, Satwari, Janipur, Sanjay Nagar, Talab Tillo and Bari Brahmana. Protest rallies were on in different areas of the city when the reports last came in.
Rajouri: A day after violent protests here, the district administration anticipating more such protests, imposed an indefinite curfew in this border township today.
This comes after members of a particular community, protesting against the alleged attack by activists of the Bajrang Dal, the Shiv Sena and the BJP on their members indulged in violent protests and tried to damage some shops in the area dominated by the other community besides, breaking windowpanes of a bar and damaging some buses parked in the bus stand area.
The trouble had started when Zeeshan Mir, a teenager, went to a petrol station near Nagesh Bridge to fill fuel in his vehicle. He was allegedly beaten up by protesters of the Bajrang Dal near the bridge.
