SASS calls for 2-day Jammu shutdown from Sep 21

{image-Jammu shutdown_21092008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Jammu, Sep 21: After being denied permission to hold a function to pay tributes to those killed during the two month long agitation in Jammu spearheaded by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (SAYSS) over forestland transfer row, the Samiti has called for a two-day shutdown here from Sunday, Sep 21.

Declaring that the shutdown call was to warn the State Government to implement the agreement reached between the Governor's panel and the Samiti last month, its convenor Leela Karan Sharma said: "The shutdown is a warning and not resumption of agitation. But, the Samiti will be left to take to other course if the Government fails to implement the agreement at the earliest." Sharma alleged that despite the Advisory Council of the State Governor's formal approval for temporarily using the forestland by the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), the Government had not issued it.

Meanwhile, at least 15 persons, including some policemen, were injured on Saturday, Sep 20 in police firing, to disperse the Samiti activists who had gathered in large numbers outside the Abhinav theatre, where the function was to be held. The protestors shouted slogans and pelted stones at the police when they were stopped from entering into the venue.

Alleging that the authority's action exposed the high handedness of the administration, Sharma said: "We were to hold a peaceful memorial but the administration deliberately provoked the people by using force on the people, who visited the function venue."

ANI