Clashes rock Jammu as people defy curfew for 'victory' rally

Jammu, Aug 31 (PTI) At least 28 people were Sunday injured when police used batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse crowds which defied curfew and broke barricades to take part in a 'victory' rally in Jammu city after signing of an accord on the Amarnath land issue.

Authorities had imposed curfew in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Poonch, Samba and Kishtwar and deployed the army in the entire city to prevent the march called by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti which suspended its two-month long agitation after the government allowed the Amarnath Shrine Board to use the land in Kashmir during the yatra period.

People defied the curfew at dozens of places and broke through police barricades and barbed wire fencing put up by the army to march towards M A M Stadium - the venue of the 'Vijay Rally', police said.

Fierce clashes erupted in Parade, Purani Mandi, Canal
Road, Jewel Chowk, KC Morh, Janipur, Gangyal, Tallab Tilloo
and Shakti Nagar, Residency road areas of city, with police,
army, Rapid Action Force (R.A.F.) and Central Reserve Police
Force (C.R.P.F.) personnel resorting to teargas shelling and
cane-charge on protesters, including women and children.

Irate over the police action, people resorted to heavy
stone pelting and clashed with police in which over 25 people
and three police personnel were injured.

"Fifteen persons were hospitalised and other were
discharge after first aid," police said.

"We have imposed curfew to stop people from assembling
and taking part in the major rally in view of intelligence
reports of presence of some militants in Jammu," district's
Deputy Commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari said.

Militants can use this occasion to trigger violence, he
said. PTI