Jammu, August 21
Even as the curfew was relaxed from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., there was no let-up in the protesters' anger as they damaged the vehicle of a former Congress minister and set ablaze three others here today.

The protesters gheroaed former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Mangat Ram Sharma when he was visiting a doctor at Bhagwati Nagar along with his grandson. The angry protesters pelted stones on his vehicle but his security personnel managed to rescue him and escort him home. The agitators then damaged three other private vehicles parked nearby before setting them afire.

In another incident, an unruly mob ransacked a vehicle loaded with ration in the Janipur area. The vehicle was reportedly hired by the CAPD Department to supply ration to the depots. The protesters also tried to torch a government vehicle parked outside the Nehru Yuva Kendra in Shastri Nagar.

This is not the first time that the protesters have targeted a Congress leader. Earlier too they had stoned the houses of Sharma and other former Congress ministers like Mula Ram and Babu Singh.

As far as protests are concerned, the doctors and paramedical staff of the Jammu region today held a massive protest demonstration. They condemned the "inaction" on the part of the state government and the Centre in addressing the just demands of the nationalist people of Jammu. "Instead of using brute force for suppressing the sentiments of the people, the government should work expeditiously for resolving the crisis," the agitating medical fraternity said.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which had given the nationwide call for “Jail Bharo” agitation, didn't hold any such programme in Jammu as the party said being a constituent of Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, its activists had already participated in the three-day “Jail Bharo” agitation of the samiti.

As a part of the ‘funeral procession of the Centre’ call given by the samiti, processions and demonstrations were held locality-wise at several places in which effigies of the central government were burnt in various towns and districts of the Jammu region.

Sale of liquor banned in Samba: With a view to checking violent incidents during the ongoing agitation, the Samba administration has banned the sale of liquor in the entire district. Deputy commissioner Saurabh Bhagat said the suggestion to ban the sale of liquor came from the ex-servicemen during a meeting of the peace committee. He said the police had nabbed some miscreants while pelting stones at vehicles plying on the highway and they confessed that they were doing it under the influence of alcohol. Around 120 liquor outlets have been shut in the district.