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| Nearly 2 lakhs court arrest for shrine land | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Aug 18
It was a quick and grim reminder of Indian freedom movement today when several thousands people –rather few lakhs –marched to the Police several stations across the region and offered their arrests in a gesture of strongest protest against the government for its inability to restore 800 kanals of forest land at Baltal to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.
The first phase of the ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ launched by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti and supported by over three dozen other organizations, saw a sea of humanity pouring into various Police Stations to offer their arrests. Though the situation was tough for the Police to handle but no curfew or other restrictions had been imposed to curb the movement of agitators.
Though today it was the turn of men to court their arrests but thousands of women and children also marched to the Police Stations. The women folk said that they were pained over the situation and were in no mood to wait till their turn. “Although woman folk was not asked to participate in today's Jail Bharo Andolan, still more than 10,000 women offered themselves for arrest. Women would offer themselves for court arrest on August 19 followed by programme of court arrest of children on August 20”, said a Samiti spokesman.
Strength in the court arrest march was unprecedented but an exact figure of those who courted their arrests could not be worked out. The Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti claimed that more than three lakh people in all districts of Jammu region courted arrests. Barring a couple of Police Stations, no other Police officer could confirm the exact number of protestors who reached their respective jurisdiction. However, computation reports as gathered by our reporters in the City and other parts of region suggest that by any estimate the total strength of protesters was between 1.75 lakhs to 2 lakhs. “We have never seen such an unprecedented response to any movement so far”, said a senior Police officer wishing not to be identified.
Incidents of stray violence have been reported from various parts of region. Agitators went violent at the Dogra Chowk after they found drinking facility inside the stadium which was declared as a temporary jail to accommodate the Samiti activists for their symbolic court arrest. Two buses of the State Road Transport Corporation were set ablaze at the Dogra Chowk where Rapid Action Force was pressed into action to quell the demonstrators.
Summing up day’s activities, a Police spokesman said, “some activists of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti (SAYSS) incited by their leaders today attacked the office of NDTV here at Shastri Nagar. They vandalized the office of the TV causing extensive damage to the property of the office. Police have taken the cognizance of the incident and an FIR has been lodged in this regard. Police said all the miscreants have been identified”.
However, the television channel, NDTV has categorically denied any extensive damage to its building though it admitted some damage to window panes. An NDTV spokesman said, “NDTV denies that there was extensive damage to the property of our office, it was only few window panes that were shattered by some unidentified miscreants and the reports of our office being vandalised are not true...”
''The localities under the jurisdiction of Gandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar, Satwari and City Police Station observed a massive rush of protestors, who had gathered outside for the court arrest,'' sources maintained.
Besides men, women will court arrest on Tuesday (August 19) followed by children on Wednesday (August 20). People however, today took out peaceful rallies at many places in various districts amid slogans against the state administration while no untoward incident took place.
Meanwhile, later addressing a press conference, the leaders of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti expressed gratitude towards people of Jammu region for their over-whelming response to the Jail Bharo call of the Samiti. “Initial reports confirmed that more than three lakhs people from Lakhanpur to Banihal came on the streets and offered themselves for court arrest. Irrespective of their party affiliations people from all walks of life taken to streets and participated in the Jail Bharo agitation”, claimed the Samiti leaders.
The Samiti leaders said that first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir such a huge number of people peacefully offered themselves for court arrest. People from every nook and corner of Jammu region including remotest areas like Dodu Bastangarh, Bani, Basholi, Paddar and other participated in the Andolan.
“Overwhelming response of the people in Jail Bharo Andolan is an eye opener for those who have launched vicious campaign against on-going movement to hide their misdeeds. Union as well as State Government should realise that ongoing stir to restore land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has become a mass movement”, a Samiti spokesman said.
Prominent among those who led the processions from different areas Lila Karan Sharma, Brig Suchet Singh, Narayan Singh, Ram Sahai, Chander Mohan Sharma, Dr Rama Kant Dubey, Dev Raj Baru, Udhay Chand, Pawan Kohli, Yudhvir Sethi, Rajesh Gupta, Anan Sharma, Surinder Singh, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, K K Paroch, , veteran leader Amarnath Gupta, Prof Bhola Nath Gupta, Ashwani Sharma.
SAYSS says
Rehari: 25,000
Domana: 20,000
Bakshi Nagar: 15,000
Satwari: 20,000
Gandhi Nagar: 8,000
Chhani Himmat: 3,000
Sainik Colony: 2,000
Udhampur: 25,000
R S Pura 10,000,
Hira Nagar 15000,
Bishnah 2000,
Arnia 5000,
Pucca Danga 15000,
Gangyal 7000,
Talab Tillo 15000,
Vijaypur 5000,
Gangyal 3000,
Samba 5000,
Ramgarh 1000,
Bari Brahamana 5000,
Akhnoor 5000,
Jourian 1000,
Reasi 8000,
Katra 3000,
Tikri 1000,
Rembal-Gari 3000,
Majalata 1000,
Ramnagar 5000,
Chenani 6000,
Kalakote 2500,
Noushara 7000,
Tariath 500,
Sunderbani 7000,
Rajouri 7000,
Ramban 2000. |
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