People raid hotel, damage vehicles in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 9 (UNI) Hundreds of people, including women, raided a hotel, damaged furniture and parked vehicles in the city this afternoon.

Official sources said a large number of people raided Hotel Le-Meridian near Iqbal Park on the Srinagar-Airport road this afternoon immediately after the Friday prayers were over.

They alleged the hotel was being used for ''immoral activities.'' The agitators later damaged the furniture in the hotel.

They also damaged about half-a-dozen parked vehicles and set on fire another vehicle of the hotel owner before police could reach there.

About six persons, including a photo journalist, were injured in the stone pelting and police action.

The raid on the hotel came five days after two militants outfits Al-Badr and Al-Madina imposed ban on some cable channels in the Valley.

Dukhataran-e-Milat (DeM) chief Asiya Andrabi told UNI that they have no role in today's raid on the hotel.

It was a ''spontaneous raid'' by the people, she added.

The DeM in the past had conducted massive raids on hotels and other places in the city which according to them were being used for immoral activities.

A number of DeM activits, including Asiya were taken into custody by police for raiding the hotels last month. However, they were later released on bail.

UNI