Students, locals block Jammu-Srinagar national highway after standoff with CRPF
Police and CRPF personnel stand guard during restrictions imposed by the government authorities and strike call given by Hurriyat Conference following the killing of a youth, in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on Sunday. (PTI Photo by S Irfan, File) Police and CRPF personnel stand guard during restrictions imposed by the government authorities and strike call given by Hurriyat Conference following the killing of a youth, in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on Sunday. (PTI Photo by S Irfan, File)
VEHICULAR traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remains suspended and all shops and businesses establishments in Banihal town closed, following an incident of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel allegedly beating some students on Tuesday.
Four students including a girl were injured as police resorted to lathicharge to disperse protesters raising ‘pro-Azadi’ and ‘anti-India’ slogans to clear the highway to restore vehicular traffic. Though police claimed the situation was under control, sources said there was a complete bandh in the town and traffic on the national highway remained suspended.
According to SHO Banihal, Inspector Mohammad Afzal Wani, trouble erupted after a van, on the way from Cheril village nearly 5 kms from Banihal, on this side of the Jawahar tunnel side overtook a CRPF convoy hitting one of their trucks moving from the Valley towards Jammu. Students of Government Higher Secondary School and Degree College were travelling in the van at the time.
Some CRPF personnel in the truck immediately got down and started beating the van driver. As students in the van came to his rescue, CRPF personnel beat them up also, Wani said. He added that after being joined by local people, some of them even tried to snatch a gun from a CRPF jawan, when the police intervened and saved the situation.
After persuasion, while CRPF personnel were made to proceed towards Jammu, students lifted their blockade from the road and moved towards Banihal town.
However, in the town, they were joined by other students and locals, who continued protesting against the CRPF and the local police. The protesters forced closure of educational institutions and business establishments in the town.
As some students started pelting stones, breaking glass doors, counters and signboards, besides windscreens and window panes of vehicles, police resorted to lathicharge to disperse them. Though the pelting has stopped, business establishments are shut and vehicular traffic will remain off the highway till Tuesday evening.
This has been second time since last Sunday that trouble has erupted between locals and security forces personnel in Banihal town, leading to a complete shutdown in the area. On Sunday, a motorcyclist was killed in an accident with an army vehicle. Though police have registered an FIR and apprehended the erring driver, local people held a demonstration and closed their establishments.
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