Protests continue over revocation of transfer of forestland to Shrine Board

Barnai (Jammu and Kashmir)/Indore, July 6 : While authorities in Jammu relax curfew, members of Bharatiya Janata Party continue to protest government's decision of revoking the controversial transfer of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board on Sunday.

As curfew continues for seventh day across Jammu, hordes of villagers at Barnai took to streets and protested against the government's decision of revoking the land transfer to Shrine Board.

Even after indefinite curfew, the protesters burnt the effigy depicting government and resorted to sloganeering against state authorities.

At some places police resorted to baton charge to control the violent protesters.

For the moment, the curfew continues across Jammu and border districts of Samba, Baderwah and some areas of Kathua.

Elsewhere in Indore, the situation continued to be tense as the police at the city's airport detained seven congress leaders, who came to visit the riot-affected areas.

Congress leaders Narayan Sami, Digvijay Singh and Suresh Pachauri, president of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee were detained as a precautionary measure.

Angry leaders sat on a protest after they were denied curfew passes to meet relatives of riot victims.

Digvijay Singh, General Secretary, Alll India Congress committee (AICC) accused the district officials for the unrest in the city.

"Former BJP ministers are responsible for the present situation, they are fuelling both the Hindus and the Muslims and people of Indore are suffering as a result of it," said Digvijay Singh.

Reportedly, in 13 areas of Indore, curfew has been relaxed for women.

An indefinite curfew has been clamped in Jammu since Wednesday following violent clashes.

The state government last week revoked its orders to hand over nearly 100 acres (40 hectares) of forestland to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) trust for building temporary shelters for several hundred thousands of pilgrims who trek every year to the cave shrine deep in the Himalayas.

ANI