The Hindu : Front Page : Highway to Srinagar open, says Army

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Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008
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Highway to Srinagar open, says Army

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Army has claimed that it was ensuring the movement of vehicles on the Srinagar-Jammu highway for over a week. Ever since troops were deployed on the only direct surface link with the Kashmir Valley on August 4, there had been “smooth movement” of petrol tankers and trucks carrying fruits and essential commodities, it said.

It had escorted nearly 4,000 loaded trucks in both directions as also thousands of light vehicles and hundreds of oil tankers over the past eight days, the Army claimed.

“The sincere and constant work of the Army under a tense situation has ensured regular movement of supplies on National Highway 1A,” said an Army spokesperson.

On the gunning down of three civilians in the Valley by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles, the spokesperson said minimum firing was resorted to after all warnings to stop a 4,000-strong mob failed. The crowd began attacking a Rashtriya Rifles post about 120 km from Srinagar when the troops opened “minimum” fire in the presence of police and civilian officers. The crowd dissipated after troops “fired to effect.” The police were now handling the situation, he added.

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