| NC workers stone, ransack shops to enforce shutdown at Mendhar | | DSP among several hurt, bandh call proves to be a flop show | |  M S NAZKI
Early Times Report
POONCH, Dec 22: National Conference (NC) workers on Thursday resorted to violence in Mendhar town of Poonch district in order to enforce shutdown against the alleged anti-people policies of state government.
According to sources, NC workers, led by party's local MLA Javaid Rana, had called for Mendhar shutdown against 'anti-people' policies of PDP-BJP government and also against lack of basic facilities including power and ration. To make the call successful, NC did a massive campaigning last evening and asked local Beopar Mandal to observe shutdown on Thursday. Enraged at the poor response to the strike call, NC workers today took out a rally in Mendhar bazaar in a bid to enforce the shutdown. Eyewitnesses said that NC workers later assembled at bus stand, Mendhar, and resorted to massive stone-pelting on shops that were open and also ransacked many of them including some tea stalls and hotels and Mendhar's largest fruit outlet. This resulted in massive damage to the several shops. A local newspaper agency was also allegedly damaged by NC workers. In order to pacify them, Mendhar SDPO Shahid Nayeem reached the spot but he was also injured in the stone pelting. The act of NC workers triggered protest by local traders who shouted slogans against their alleged hooliganism. In order to maintain law and order, police resorted to mild lathicharge. Later, NC MLA and provincial president Devender Rana along with his party workers held a protest at Mendhar. On the other side, PDP workers, led by Waseem Ahmed Khan and Beopar Mandal members, assembled at PDP office and staged a protest against the ransacking of shops.
Later, a complaint was lodged by them with police station, Mendhar. SDPO Nayeem said that they had received a complaint and registered a case under FIR No 193/16 and sections 451, 323, 147, 148, 323, 504, 506, 336 and 427 of RPC against 20 to 30 NC activists.
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