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| Protests against erratic power supply turn violent, 28 injured | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Sangam, Feb 1: At least 28 protestors were injured in a police action
Friday in this South Kashmir’s Sangam town when police resorted to
lathicharge and fired teargas on protestors agitating against erratic
power supply in the area.
To give vent to their resentment against erratic power supply in
winter months, locals in Sangam town situated in South Kashmir blocked
the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for hours together disrupting
normal traffic movement. The protestors raising slogans against PDD
and the Government alleged that PDD authorities are resorting to
unscheduled power cuts in the areas.
The protesters said they are suffering immensely due to pesky power
cuts for the last two month in sub-zero temperatures. According to
some locals, agitated over erratic power supply and alleging filling
of false entries in the logbook by the PDD officials, the irked locals
reportedly had ransacked the Receiving Station and locked it. They
alleged the officials were showing supply to the Marhama habitation
for about 9 hours on logbook when in actual it was only for 2 hours a
day.
However, Awantipora Police station had registered an FIR against 60
people and this morning heavy contingents of Awantipora police raided
the house of the accused in the FIR and effected arrests.
This unexpectedly triggered unrest in the village and locals who were
praying at religious places too were asked to come out on the
Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Sangam to protest against the
police action. According to the locals a large number of people
observed sit-in-dharna and blocked the Highway demanding release of
arrested people and intervention of the administration in ensuring
smooth scheduled power supply to the area.
However, Anantnag police swung into action to disperse the protesters
and clear the highway for traffic and once again the police action
invited more anger from protestors who started shouting anti-police
slogans. Some of them entered into brick battle with police compelling
police to resort to canecharge and to use tear gas to disperse the
protesters. According to reports at least a score of protestors were
injured in the police action.
When contacted additional SP of Anantnag, Zaid Malik told Early Times
that the protesters blocked the High Way for several hours resulting
in huge traffic jams from both sides and police tried to pacify the
protesters but they did not budge to which police had to resort to
mild cane charging and use teargases to disperse the protesters just
to clear the highway.
Meanwhile one Abdul Hamid, a local from Marhama village whose name was
in FIR told Early Times that when the people were offering Friday
prayers, police raided his house and arrested his younger brother who
is mentally ill. Police took him to Awantipora Police Station despite
the fact that he is a mentally challenged” Hamid lamented.
The locals accusing the Power Department for turning their life to
hell alleged that PDD has made things worse for them as the power is
supplied for only four hours in evening. One Ghulam Hasan Assad said
usually there is complete black-out in the mornings and evenings.
Apart from Sangam, reports of protests against the shortage of power
being poured now and then from other parts of valley also.
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