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More Army troops sought for Jammu

— Photo: AP

Venting their ire: Scene of a protest in Jammu on Sunday.

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday sought more Army troops and imposed curfew in two more towns of Jammu region to quell protests that started in Jammu over a month ago against the cancellation of the order on transfer of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

While Samba and Jammu districts have been under curfew for the last two days, curfew was extended to Udhampur and Rajouri towns to arrest the spread of the agitation that has taken a violent turn in various places.

Strict orders were enforced to prevent any defiance of the curfew order. All stranded vehicles on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A, which is being guarded by both the police and the Army at vital points, were cleared on Sunday, though vehicular traffic was less as few vehicles are entering the State.

SSP National Highway 1A Dinesh Ranna told The Hindu that there was no problem for any vehicle that wanted to take the highway route.

There was a crackdown on private television channels. The administration sealed the offices of JK Channel and Take One, which are owned by businessman Subash Chowdhary and Member of the Legislative Council Davinder Ranna respectively. The channels were asked to shut down operations under Section 19 Chapter 5 of the 1995 Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act.

Both the channels are also service providers of many national channels. Violence broke out as the administration was sealing the office of JK Channel and the police fired teargas shells on the protesters to disperse them. A correspondent and a cameraman were injured as shells landed near them.

A notice issued to JK Channel said: “News items shown on the channel are many a time based on half truths and false and suggestive innuendos. This information is provoking people to take recourse to violence and arson.”

However, no action was taken against any newspaper as some reports suggested. Both Amar Ujala and Dainak Jagran have dismissed such reports.

The State administration’s stern action and crackdown on a section of the media came as the talks between Governor N.N. Vohra and the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti broke down, triggering large scale protests.

The Sangharsh Samiti, a conglomerate of 35 social, political and religious organisations, has stated that talks can only take place “if the administration discloses its stand on the issue of land transfer to the Shrine Board.”

Mr. Vohra again appealed to the people to see reason and get into a dialogue mode so that concerns of the agitators could be addressed peacefully. The agitation was harming the long-term interests of the people, he said.

The Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, a National Organisation Working on Gujjars of 11 States, has urged the Sangarsh Samiti to ensure the safety of Gujjars.

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