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| Sikhs block NH in Kathua over Pulwama incident | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 2: Enraged over government’s failure to arrest miscreants involved in assault on a Sikh youth in Pulwama district of South Kashmir last week, incensed Sikh community members on Monday blocked Jammu-Pathankote National Highway at Rajbagh for four hours.
The protestors also warned to intensify their agitation if the culprits were not arrested immediately.
Hundreds of people belonging to the Sikh community comprising women and children assembled at Rajbagh, about 75 kms from here, and blocked national highway at about 6:45 a.m demanding arrest of all miscreants who had allegedly chopped off the hair of a Sikh youth, identified as Mithun Singh in Tral area of district Pulwama on July 28.
The agitated Sikhs raised anti-government slogans and accused the coalition government of failing to protect minority communities living in Kashmir Valley. They also charged the government with its alleged failure to arrest and punish culprits involved in the sacrilegious act on Wednesday last.
The protestors also raised barricades and burnt tyres to block the vehicular movement on highway to lodge their protest. They also demanded deployment of additional security personnel in and around the places inhabited by Sikhs in Valley.
However, senior officials of the district administration rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitating protestors.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had promised a group of Sikh leaders that the culprits involved in the incident would be arrested soon and such incidents would not be allowed to reoccur.
The Sikh community leaders comprising Charanjeet Singh, Jassa Singh, Balbir Singh, Raju, Gurpreet Singh, Harpal Singh, Avtar Singh, Surjeet Singh, Harvinder Singh and Amrik Singh while addressing the protestors said, “The incident had hurt the sentiments of crores of Sikhs living across the world. The community would not tolerate such incidents and if the stern action was not taken against the culprits within 48 hours, it would intensify its agitation.”
The leaders also urged the Central government to intervene and direct the Omar Abdullah led coalition government for holding a high level probe into the incident.
Thousands of vehicles on either side of blockade remained stranded subjecting passengers to great hardships.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kathua, Garib Dass personally monitored the situation and assured that the government would take action against the culprits. After the assurance of SSP Kathua and other senior officials of the district administration, the protestors lifted their dharna at about 11:00 a.m.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also reported from different parts of Jammu. Scores of Sikh community members comprising women staged separate protests at Gole Gujral and Karan Bagh demanding action against the culprits who had allegedly chopped off the hair of Sikh youth in South Kashmir.
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