Violence spread to rural and Muslim-dominated areas of Jammu on Thursday after miscreants went on the rampage burning houses of Muslim Gurjars
SRINAGAR: Violence spread to rural and Muslim-dominated areas of Jammu on Thursday after miscreants went on the rampage burning houses of Muslim Gurjars in Samba and Khatua. Fifty people were injured in the violence. When reports last came in, the army had staged a flag march in Khatua.
Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (AYSS), a joint front of 31 religious, social and political organisations favouring land allotment to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), extended its bandh by 72 hours to protest the cabinet decision to revoke the land transfer.
Several companies of the Rapid Action Force are trying to restore order in Jammu which has been in the grip of violence for the last four days. People defied curfew in some parts of the city to stage protests.
Several houses of Muslim Gurjars were set ablaze at RS Pura, Samba, Vijaypur, Khatua and Udhampur.
“Dozens of temporary Gurjar houses called kullas were set ablaze by agitators protesting the government revocation of the order transferring land to SASB,” senior Gurjar leader and MLA Main Altaf Ahmad said. The Gurjars have appealed to governor NN Vohra to deploy army to ensure their security.
The situation turned ugly in Khatua when a group of people pelted stones on the sales-tax office in Lakhanpur, the entry point to Jammu and Kashmir. Pro-Amarnath land deal protestors also ransacked a toll post of the commercial tax office, causing huge losses. Police used cane charge and lobbed smoke shells to disperse the mob.
Divisional commissioner Sudhanshu Pandey said reinforcements have been rushed to Khatua. “Senior police officers are at the site,” he said. VHP and Bajrang Dal members ransacked the house of local Hindu Hurriyat leader DL Sharma at Nanak Nagar.
BJP state president Ashok Khajuria said the Jammu bandh had been total. “People have responded to our call and observed a complete bandh on Thursday,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lt Gen TK Sapru, general officer commanding in chief, Western Command, arrived in Jammu on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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