No curfew relaxation in Jammu, children offer court arrest

Jammu, Aug 20 (UNI) Following fresh protests in various parts of the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir last night, curfew was re-imposed in old city areas and despite no relaxation, hundreds of people, including children, defying curfew took to the streets to court arrest.

As violent protests erupted last evening at Canal Road, Jewel Chowk, Bakshi Nagar, New Plot and Janipur areas over the Amarnath land row, the administration re-imposed curfew in the jurisdiction of seven police stations of old city.

However, on the third day of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti's 'Jail Bharo Andolan' hundreds of children along with parents, gathered outside various police stations to court arrest.

''Defying curfew, the protestors along with their children amid the chants of 'Bam Bam Bhole and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' reached different police stations to court arrest on the third day of 'Jail Bharo Andolan' under the banner of the Samiti, spearheading the ongoing agitation,'' sources told UNI.

Meanwhile, army was called in and the curfew was re-imposed in the walled Jammu city while in Samba district the curfew was relaxed till 1400 hrs, sources added.

''The curfew was relaxed in the Samba district for nine hours from 0500 hrs to 1400 hrs as no fresh incident of violence have been reported so far besides peaceful protests,'' sources maintained saying that a-day curfew has been relaxed in Kathua district for the consecutive third day.

Earlier, over 1,00,000 women courted arrest across the Jammu region yesterday while at many places the protestors forced their entry into police stations, chanting slogans like 'Bam Bam Bhole'.

UNI VBH SP SSC1300