Click to play videoNew Delhi: Three people were injured in fresh firing between protesters and police at Domana in Jammu over the Amarnath shrine forestland row. Normal life has been crippled for the eighth consecutive day in the Valley following the strikes.
The BJP-led protests gathered momentum after tanker associations, who supply fuel to the state, decided to join in the protests. They also threatened to cut off fuel supply to the state for the next two days.
Protesters blocked traffic and fought pitched battles with police as the BJP-Shiv Sena sponsored shutdown demanded removal of Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra over the land row.
The Jammu-Srinagar highway, the Jammu-Pathankot highway and the road from Jammu city to the airport have also been blocked by protestors.
Police opened fire at several places as demonstrators burnt tyres and effigies. Congress MP Lal Singh was manhandled and suffered injuries. His vehicle was damaged in stone pelting on the Jammu-Pathankote highway.
Denouncing Vohra's decision to hand over affairs of the Amarnath Shrine Board to the state government, the protesters sought his immediate removal.
Shops and businesses remained shut and traffic remained off the road for the second straight day in Srinagar.
The state government ordered closure of schools, colleges and other educational institutions as a precautionary measure while the Jammu University put off examinations of its management courses scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Srinagar, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad held a cabinet meeting to possibly revoke the land transfer order. Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have been put under house arrest.
However, IGP (Jammu) K Rajindra said the situation was tense but under control, adding adequate police had been deployed in the entire city where prohibitory orders had been imposed to maintain peace.
J&K government in trouble
PDP ministers stepped down after the party withdrew support to the state government over the issue of transfer of forestland to the Amarnath Shrine Board.
The PDP’s withdrawal has reduced the Azad-led government to a minority in the 87-member state Assembly.
However, Azad claimed on Sunday that he has the requisite numbers in the state Assembly to complete his full term in office.
“My government will complete its full term till November 2,” Azad said but refused to divulge which parties or MLAs were supporting his government.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.