Jammu, two more areas under siege

BY SHUCHISMITA

Jammu

Aug. 8: The entire Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in Jammu region are under siege with the Army plugging entry points of almost every locality with barbed wires and tapes.

Heavy presence of the Army, besides the CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF), has been able to contain violence in the region to a great extent but has failed to stop massive yet peaceful protests defying curfew in force since August 1 on account of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board land transfer row. Particularly in the city outskirts, the people came out in thousands defying the curfew to participate in the protest rallies. At some places, the barbed wires erected by the Army have proved an effective barrier to limit the number of protesters to a few hundreds but at times they have turned out to be simply ineffective.

Predominantly in a situation when the protesters in thousands carrying tricolours and chanting "Bam Bam Bhole" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and raising slogans against governor and Kashmir-based leaders start marching from different localities to converge at one particular point. To dodge the security personnel, they resort to different tactics. They don’t mind even diving to the nearby water bodies as a shortcut to reach their destination if are unable to cross the barbed obstructions created almost at every point or dodge vigilant security personnel.

Interestingly, while the protesters avoid direct clashes with the Army and other Central forces, just a glimpse of the local police makes them go violent, particularly in the city outskirts. To avoid this, the Army personnel are being used as the first line of defence as per a strategy to prevent violent clashes. Given this scenario, the Army is faced with a piquant situation in this agitation. Around 40 columns of the Army have been deployed in the Jammu region in the wake of the ongoing agitation.