M A I N   N E W S

Amarnath Land Row
Protesters burn govt vehicles
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 20
Curfew was re-imposed in the entire district today and the Army was called out following last night’s violent clashes.

Curfew back in Jammu

A bonfire of tyres in Jammu on Wednesday.  Tribune photo: Anand Sharma

Meanwhile, the protesters again went on a rampage today, setting afire vehicles and damaging government offices. Defying curfew, a 10,000-strong mob, including women and children, gathered outside the Sarwal police post in the morning and set afire a tent put up in front of the post.

Similarly, an irate mob set ablaze three vehicles at the Janipur police station. They also torched an ATM of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank and damaged a government office in Janipur.

In another incident, unidentified men torched a Tata Qualis of BJP general secretary (organisation) Ajay Jamwal at Gandhi Nagar locality here.

There were reports of stone-pelting at a local newspaper office.

The neighbouring town of Akhnoor witnessed a violent clash between the supporters of former Congress MLA Sham Sharma and that of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

The two warring groups hurled stones at each other. The police lathicharged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the supporters, leaving at least 20 persons injured.

Two of the critically injured were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu.

Earlier, thousands of people, including children, marched towards various police stations to court arrest on the last day of the samiti’s ‘jail bharo’ agitation.

As per the samiti’s plan, it was the turn of the children to court arrest today. Though the administration urged the parents as well as the samiti not to encourage children for courting arrest, as it is illegal, the people didn’t heed to it and many kids forced their way to the police stations along with their parents.

GMCH docs on strike
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 20
The Government Medical College and Hospital witnessed high drama today as the paramedical staff, including doctors, went on a strike in protest against the police for reportedly beating up a doctor.

The police refused to accept the identity card of the doctor, Vipin Gupta, as a curfew pass, who was on his way to the GMCH. Irked staff reportedly manhandled SDPO West R.K. Chalotra and roughed up a few cops accompanying him on the hospital premises. Deputy commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari and SSP S.D.S. Jamwal held a meeting with principal Rajinder Singh to defuse the situation.

NSA reviews situation

Srinagar: National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan today reviewed the Jammu and Kashmir situation with Governor N.N. Vohra, his Adviser (Home) S.S. Bleoria and senior officers of the central and state governments. The three-hour meeting discussed in detail issues pertaining to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. These included law and order, security, public distribution system and measures related to the strengthening of the administrative machinery down to the tehsil and block levels. It was decided, inter alia, to facilitate discussions to resolve the impasse, an official spokesman said here.

Narayanan, accompanied by defence secretary Vijay Singh, chairman of the joint intelligence committee H. Upadhayay, IB director P.C. Haldar and PMO joint secretary Sanjay Mitra, was here on a day-long visit. Among those whom Narayanan met were top Army officers, the three Advisers to the Governor, besides senior civil and police officers of the state government. Besides the security review, the National Security Adviser also met several leaders of Jammu and Kashmir political parties.