The Hindu : Front Page : Army stages flag march in Jammu

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Friday, Jul 04, 2008
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Army stages flag march in Jammu

Staff Reporter

Protesters continue to defy curfew, clash with police

— PHOTO: PTI

On the warpath: Policemen confronting protesters in Jammu on Thursday.

Jammu: There was no let-up in violence in Jammu on Thursday. Sixty-five people, including a large number of police personnel, were injured in fresh protests against the cancellation of the order transferring land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. The Army carried out a flag march in curfew-bound areas.

Protesters continued to defy curfew orders in several areas.

Police personnel who tried to enforce curfew earned their wrath.

Kathua district, gateway to the State, was the scene of massive protests. Protesters attacked the vehicles of district officers. In Lakhanpur town — which borders the Madopur area of Punjab — demonstrators set ablaze a toll post where entry tax on goods is collected. In the same district, a police post was also burnt.

On a request from the district administration, the Army carried out a flag march in Kathua town. Rail traffic here was also affected. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar road was blocked, as protesters gathered at Samba, Udhampur and Nagrota.

There were fresh attacks on the property of Congress leaders. Congress leader Mula Ram’s house was attacked. But the police posted there dispersed the crowd.

Around 10 police personnel were injured in a number of places in Jammu city when they tried to disperse crowds of protesters. Mobs attacked a police party in Sector 2 of Durga Nagar.

A few Congress activists of the region joined the protests on Thursday. Jai Singh, a Municipal corporator came out with scores of his supporters defying curfew orders.

Joint appeal

A group of social activists, lawyers, political leaders and academicians issued a joint appeal to the people and the leaders of the agitation to realise that the secular tradition and identity of Jammu was its real strength, which one could not weaken.

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