JAK Rocked by Protests, Curfew in Force, Amarnath Pilgrims Stopped

JAMMU, July 19, 2013: Protests rocked several areas of Jammu division on Friday to protest the firing incident in Ramban where curfew remained in force even as authorities stopped a fresh batch of Amarnath pilgrims from leaving for the shrine.

A shutdown was called by Muslim outfits in several areas like Bhaderwah, Banihal, Thathri, Kishtwar, Gool, Doda, Sangaldan to protest against the incident.

Additional forces were deployed in sensitive areas a day after four persons were killed and 44 others, including security personnel, injured in stone-pelting and resultant firing when a mob attacked a BSF camp in Ramban district over alleged high-handedness by a BSF team.

"The situation is under control--it is peaceful--but there have been protests in some areas", Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu Zone, Rajesh Kumar told PTI.

Kumar said that adequate security has been deployed in the region to ensure peace and normalcy in the region.

As many as 42 injured people are getting treatment in GMC hospital, Ramban district hospital and Srinagar hospital.

Protests rocked Bhaderwah, Banihal, Thathri, Kishtwar, Gool, Doda, Sangaldan areas of Jammu region amid raising of anti-India slogans and burning of tyres, police said.

In Bhaderwah and Thathri, protestors took out a march and burnt tyres demanding arrest of the culprits and punishment to them.

There was a shutdown in various towns in Jammu regions against the incident.

"There were no reports of any untoward incident reported from anywhere in the areas", IG said.

In the wake of the incident, no fresh batch of Amarnath pilgrims was allowed today from Jammu for Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, police said.

Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed since midnight last night as a precautionary measure.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident while Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde directed a probe into the role of BSF which is stationed in the area to guard railway installations.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had condemned the killing of protestors and said such incidents had the potential to jeopardise the peaceful atmosphere in the state.

Inspector General of BSF Jammu Frontier Rajeev Krishna had said that its personnel opened fire in self-defence with "maximum restraint" to quell the violence by the mob which tried to storm their storehouse of arms and ammunition.

On the Amarnath pilgrims front, no fresh batch of pilgrims will be allowed to proceed to the Kashmir Valley. "No fresh batch has been allowed to move to Kashmir valley from Jammu on Friday as a precautionary measure. It (Amarnath Yatra) has been suspended," a police officer said. 

Till yesterday, about 41,673 pilgrims in 22 batches had left for Amarnath from Jammu. 

Over 2.50 lakh pilgrims have participated in this year's yatra to see the ice lingam of Lord Shiva at Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas. 

Four persons were killed yesterday when security personnel opened fire at a mob that had gathered at a BSF camp in Ramban district to protest against alleged manhandling of an Imam of the area by the force.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 19, 2013.