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Hurriyat Strike Call
Curfew in Rajouri, Udhampur
Traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar highway
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Fruit traders defer stir after chief secy’s assurance
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Hurriyat Strike Call
Srinagar, August 3 Alleging that whatever was happening in Jammu was being directed by people in New Delhi, Geelani appealed to people of Rajouri, Poonch, Jammu and Doda to observe the strike tomorrow. The authorities have directed the security forces to remain alert to foil any attempt by miscreants to disturb law and order in the valley Meanwhile, warning that the Jammu flare-up will plunge the state into a communal holocaust, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has said the anti-Kashmiri character with provocative and mindless overtones of communal forces will bring the state on the verge of disintegration. Addressing a zone-level workers’ meeting at Batwara today, the PDP president said if not controlled, the Jammu flare-up would plunge the state into the communal holocaust. ''Those secular mainstream political parties, who talk and support one thing in Kashmir, have changed their colours in Jammu,'' she said, adding that given the speeches of their top-ranking leadership, it seems that they have joined hands with the communal forces and enemies of peace. The prevailing grim situation could not be allowed to dither anymore as it had the potential of not only impairing the gains of the peace process but also striking at the roots of the state's integrity and its composite culture. The PDP president remarked that attacks on the weaker sections and minorities smacked a conspiracy to divide the state on communal lines to the convenience of rabid communalists. The economic blockade, forced against the people of the valley and attacks on Jammu-based employees from the Kashmir region, speaks volumes for how the atmosphere was being vitiated with the deliberate design of a showdown through vandalism and use of muscle power. She made a pointed reference to the agitation in Kashmir, saying that masses here did not resort to vandalism, selective targeting of minorities, or ransacking their properties. ''People showed utmost restraint for maintaining Kashmir's communal harmony and centuries-old pluralistic ethos,'' Ms Mufti said and added that it was a spontaneous public movement, wherein no person or political party was forced to join in.
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Curfew in Rajouri, Udhampur
Udhampur, August 3 People defied curfew at various places and held demonstrations. At Bhaderwah, activists of the samiti orgnised a rally at Seri Bazar by defying the curfew. Defying the curfew, people took out three rallies from Udhampur town and shouted slogans against the authorities for committing atrocities at Jammu and Samba. At Shiv Nagar in Udhampur, as the police tried to stop the people from moving towards the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, they pelte stones on the cops. The police fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Hundreds of youths were gathered at different streets, pelting stones on cops. As the situation was going out of control, the Udhampur Deputy Commissioner imposed an indefinite curfew and called in the Army. Despite deployment of the Army, demonstrations continued throughout the day. As the authorities failed to pacify agitaters in Jammu region, the police started targeting mediapersons. Office of a Hindi national daily was attacked by cops at Udhampur, injuring its reporter, Deepak Gupta. Rajouri: A day after violent protests here, the district administration anticipating more such protests, imposed an indefinite curfew. 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. |
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Traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar highway
Jammu, August 3 Traffic on the highway resumed after 12 days as 38 trucks laden with fruits crossed Lakhanpur and 185 trucks and oil tankers proceeded towards Kashmir. The supply of essential items to the valley had also been affected during the stir. “We have handed over the highway to the Army and traffic has been restored from Lakhanpur in Kathua district to Banihal in Ramban district via Udhampur, Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in the Jammu region”, top police officials said. The Pathankot-Jammu-Banihal section of the highway was choked by the protesters for the past 12 days and over 200 trucks and other vehicles were damaged and 17 vehicles burnt by demonstrators protesting over the Amarnath issue. Thirty-eight trucks carrying fruits from Kashmir to New Delhi crossed the highway and entered Punjab area via Lakhanpur toll post in Kathua district under the Army’s supervision, police officials said. The authorities rushed 114 oil tankers and 70 trucks carrying essential supplies to the Kashmir valley from Jammu, they said. — PTI |
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Fruit traders defer stir after chief secy’s assurance
Srinagar, August 3 Addressing a press conference here, Kapur said traffic was already plying on the highway and over 178 trucks loaded with commodities had passed through the highway. Kapur said several Kashmir-bound vehicles were on their way and many had arrived. Earlier, different associations of fruit growers had given a deadline till August 4 to the administration to ensure plying of their vehicles and had warned that they would disrupt traffic on the Srinagar-Muzafarrabad highway on Tuesday if the siege was not lifted. In an immediate response to the chief secretary's assurance, the Kashmir Fruit Growers and Distributors Association deferred their call for three days. “We will see how things work out after these statements”, a spokesperson said. Kapur said additional force had been deployed on the highway for safety and no one would be allowed to disrupt the traffic. Kapur also said there were adequate stocks of essential items in the valley. “The administration has lifted foodgrain supply for the month of August and there is a 15-day reserve supply of petrol, 10-day of diesel and 12-day of LPG”. When questioned about the situation in Jammu, Kapur said: “We are trying to deal with the situation. In some cases where the police was found guilty, we have taken action”, he said, referring to the transfer of SSPs of Jammu and Samba. Kapur, however, defended the closure of two electronic channels in Jammu and said their coverage had added fuel to the fire. Similar actions had also been taken against two Hindi newspapers, prompting widespread outrage and condemnation, he added. Kapur said the government was willing to give damages to fruit growers in Kashmir if they had suffered any and the same criteria would be applicable to Jammu. |
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