By IANS,
Jammu : Curfew was relaxed here for three hours Monday morning after three days. It had been clamped Friday following violent clashes over the Amarnath land row that killed two people.
But the restrictions continue in other towns of the region, Samba, Rajouri, Udhampur and Bhaderwah, where Indian Army troops have been staging flag marches to main peace and order. There was a fear of communal violence in these areas.
People came out in large numbers during the relaxation since 7 a.m. in Jammu to buy essentials. A few shops were opened in some parts of the city.
“There was no untoward incident during the relaxation,” said a police official.
But the majority of shops and business establishments remained closed and civilian traffic was off the roads as the shutdown called by groups demanding allocation of a plot to the Amarnath shrine board continued for the 12th day Monday. Only oolice and army vehicles were seen on the roads.
Some Hindu groups in Jammu have been agitating for the restoration of 40 hectares of forest land in south Kashmir to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, which was first allocated to the shrine board by the government May 26, and then taken back July 1.
“We have a single-point agenda to get the land restored to the shrine board,” said Leela Karan Sharma, convenor of Amarnath Yatra Sangtrash Samiti, a conglomerate of nearly three dozen social, religious, political and trade groups supporting the agitation.
Meanwhile two local cable TV channels – Take1 and JK – resumed their transmission Sunday night.
Officials of the TV stations alleged that their offices had been sealed earlier Sunday by the government for giving wide coverage to the agitation.