Gurdaspur terror attack: Shiv Sena burns Pak flag

Phagwara (Punjab), Jul 27: Several activists of the Shiv Sena today burnt the Pakistani flag here to protest "Pak-sponsored" terror attack at Dina Nagar area of Gurdaspur district.

The protest, led by the party's state Vice President Inderjit Karwal, prompted authorities to divert the route of one of the buses plying between India and Pakistan under the banner of "Sada-e-Sarhad".

According to police, while the Lahore-bound Indian bus from New Delhi passed normally from NH1 here much before the protest, the other bus, bound for New Delhi from Lahore, was diverted from Kartarpur via Nakodar, Noormahal, Phillaur on to NH1 near Phillaur, skipping the Phagwara area.

Meanwhile, the protesters, who first assembled at Hanumangarhi temple, marched towards NH1, finally converging at the Sugar mill crossing.

Raising slogans against Pakistan and terrorists, they set ablaze the Pakistani flag there and staged demonstrations, leading to a slight disruption in traffic.

While addressing the protesters, Karwal demanded "snapping of all ties" with Pakistan and "discontinuation of international buses and trains" plying between the two nations to protest that country's "continued sinister attempts to destabilise India through cross-border terrorism."

He said that the terror strike in Gurdaspur where heavily-armed militants in army uniform today sprayed bullets on a moving bus and stormed a police station, killing six persons, including an SP, and injuring eight others, was "sponsored" by Pakistan.

The protesters also paid homage to those killed in today's attack. A heavy police force headed by Phagwara SP Ashwani Kumar has been deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident and quick restoration of traffic flow on NH1 has been ensured.

"Keeping in view today's attack, police bandobast has been strengthened in Phagwara, with 'nakas' and checking at all entry and exit points of the city and intensified patrolling inside it," DSP Manpreet Singh Dhillon said.

PTI