Fifteen persons were injured and a canteen of the Central Reserve Police Force was set on fire when taxi drivers clashed with the personnel on Thursday over vehicle check at Baltal, the base camp for the Amarnath pilgrimage, on the Srinagar-Leh highway, on Thursday.
Taxi driver Ghulam Nabi Lone was injured when he was beaten up by CRPF personnel.
He was rushed to hospital, but rumours about his condition intensified tension. Hundreds of locals threw stones at the CRPF.
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As the CRPF used teargas, lathicharged people and fired in the air to break up the mob, some people set the forces’ canteen on fire. Sources said about a dozen vehicles carrying tourists to Sonmarg and Ladakh, besides pilgrims toward Baltal, were damaged. Some 5,000 pilgrims were stranded at Baltal.