The Hindu : Front Page : Two killed, 40 injured in police firing in Jammu

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Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008
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Two killed, 40 injured in police firing in Jammu

Staff Reporter

Sangharsh Samiti extends its bandh for another five days

Jammu: Two persons were killed and 40, including 20 policemen, injured in continuing violence in Samba town on Monday. Police opened fire to quell the protests against the order cancelling allotment of land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

Protesters took to the streets around 2.30 p.m. and the police told them to disperse as curfew was in force. As the crowd became restive, police were forced to open fire, DIG Jammu-Kathua-Samba Abdul Qayoom, told The Hindu.

The two dead were identified as Sanjeev Sambyal (27), a businessman, Sunny Padha (20), and student. Kapil Sambyal, a cousin of Sanjeev Sambyal, an eyewitness to the events, said the two were volunteers with the Sangharsh Samiti.

Rajouri, Bhaderwah, Samba and Udhampur too continue to be under curfew. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was imposed in Doda, which imposed restrictions on congregation of more than four persons.

Congress leader and a former Education Minister Gulchain Singh Charak has joined the agitation. So too did doctors, nurses and other medical staff of the Government Medical College. They were on casual leave but would provide emergency services, they said. A day after the crackdown by the administration, the authorities allowed the cable services to resume operations.

The Sangharsh Samiti has extended its bandh for another five days.

Ram Sahai, chairman of the Jammu Chamber of Commerce, announced his support to the agitation. He said industrialists in Jammu had lost Rs. 3600 crore since the agitation started. Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh said he would sit on an indefinite hunger strike.

There was no traffic on the Jammu-Pathnankot road on Monday, in the wake of a simmering tension in the neighbouring Pathankot city of Punjab where too a section has begun agitations.

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