Curfew relaxed for 17 hours in Jammu

Jammu, Aug 22: Jammu can heave a sign of relief on Thursday, Aug 22 as Army will relax the curfew for 17 hours straight. ''The curfew will be relaxed from 0500 hrs to 2200 hrs in the entire Jammu district,'' District Magistrate, Jammu, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari said. The night curfew will remain in force for some more days.

Curfew was clamped in Jammu district on August 1 night, following violence on the Amarnath forest land row. However, there is no let-up in the situation as shutdown continued on 30th consecutive day today, in protest against the government's decision to revoke the order of land diverted in favour of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) in south Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the government has appealed to the people not to pay heed to rumours being spread frequently by 'mischievous elements to create tension in the state'.

''The rumours spread by anti-social elements are aimed at creating tension and damaging the social fabric of the state,'' said an official spokesman.

People have been requested to contact the Police Control Room (PCR), Jammu, on phone numbers 0191-2542000, 2542001, and 2560401 and PCR, Srinagar on phone numbers 0194-2452138, 2483596 for cross checking any rumour, he added.

UNI