Curfew in Jammu after Amarnath protestor’s suicide

Ashadh Krushna Shasthi

Jammu: An indefinite curfew has been imposed in Jammu and adjoining areas ahead of a bandh call by the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (AYSS).

The Samiti is protesting the alleged suicide of a man over the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) land row.

The committee is demanding restoration of 40 hectares of forest land to SASB. Protests began immediately after news of the suicide spread on Wednesday and an inquiry has already been ordered into the incident.

Kuldip Kumar Dogra, in his late 20s, appeared at Parade Ground in Jammu and Kashmir’s winter capital, where activists of the AYSS were on a hunger strike.

Dogra made a speech to the gathering saying the revocation of the land transfer order to the shrine board had driven him desperate. He said that he was "sacrificing his life for the cause", said eyewitnesses.

Dogra left a suicide note blaming politicians for not doing anything against the land revocation order.

Meanwhile, police roughed up a few media persons covering the protest on Wednesday. The police top brass is now promising action against the guilty policemen.

"It was very unfortunate that the media persons were attacked. We will take action and an inquiry will be conducted," K Rajendra, IG, Jammu zone, said.

The land was first diverted to SASB on May 26 for setting up temporary prefabricated structures for pilgrims to Amarnath in Himalayas in south Kashmir.

But the issue triggered massive protests in Kashmir. Protesters in the Muslim-majority region charged the plot would be used to settle outsiders and change the demographic character of Kashmir.

The government rescinded the order July 1. That silenced the street protests in the Kashmir valley but ignited a counter agitation in Jammu, where protesters are still demanding allotment of the plot to the shrine board.

Source: www.ibnlive.com

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