Sikh protests on despite a death in Jammu firing

Agitating Sikhs took out processions and held demonstrations at various places in Kathua district as well. Traffic on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway was disrupted as the demonstrators burnt tyres on the road at Sawan Chak and Magar Khad to create blockades.

Jammu city was under siege with police and paramilitary personnel deployed in strength. However, the residents came to know of the curfew only after they were greeted by lathi and gun-wielding policemen and Central Reserve Police Force personnel on the streets.

Trouble erupted when the agitating Sikhs were prevented from taking out processions at various places. As they resorted to stone-pelting, the police and paramilitary personnel lobbed teargas shells and later opened fire at many places to disperse the mobs.

One person was killed and two injured near a gurdwara at Narwal Bala. The person who died was identified as Mohinder Singh, an employee of the State Bank of India. The injured were rushed to the Government Medical College, Jammu, and one of them was later referred to PGI, Chandigarh, when his condition turned critical.

The police also resorted to lathicharge and lobbed teargas shells in Rehari, near the Tawi bridge, Gandhi Nagar and Nanak Nagar areas to prevent Sikhs from taking out processions. This infuriated the people, who indulged in stone-pelting.

Groups of youths torched nearly a dozen government vehicles and some offices in some parts of the city. The gutted offices housed the state government’s Power Development Department and Excise and Taxation Department, besides the Central Government’s Ground Water Resource Department.

Sources attributed the relative calm in Udhampur to the administration’s decision to relax the curfew and allow them to go to the gurdwara to offer `ardas’ for those killed in Srinagar. The relaxation, which had been initially announced for only an hour, from 12.30 pm, was extended to 4.30 pm.

Curfew had been imposed in Jammu and Udhampur districts late on Sunday evening following calls for bandh by various political, social and religious organisations in protest against the killing of six Sikhs by scooter-borne militants at Mehjoor Nagar in Srinagar on Saturday evening.

Sources said the step was taken on instructions from Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who was away from the state since Saturday. He returned here from New Delhi today and went to Srinagar along with Governor Girish Saxena.

Inquiry into firing

JAMMU: Announcing an inquiry into Monday’s firing by the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Anil Goswami, the official spokesman said the security forces had to open fire when a group of protesters turned violent. The agitating Sikhs, however, blamed the police, saying the security forces were not present on the spot.