Authorities Reach Agreement With Sikhs in Jammu, But Nervous Calm Prevails in City

Jammu:  The situation is slowly settling in Jammu where the Sikh community has been protesting for the last three days over the removal of posters of Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Bhindrawale ahead of his death anniversary today. One person was killed and 40 others were injured on Thursday after clashes between Sikh protesters and the police in different parts of the city.

 

The authorities held talks with senior Sikh leaders late yesterday which lasted for over four hours and have agreed to all their demands. The community leaders met with state home secretary RK Goyal, director general of police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar, Jammu divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal and other senior civil and police officials.

 

Immediately after the talks, the government ordered transfer of senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jammu Uttam Chand, suspension of station house officer (SHO) Satwari Kulbir Singh and payment of ex-gratia of Rs five lakh and a government job to the next kin of the Sikh youth Jagjit Singh killed during the clashes.

 

Police have registered a First Information Report or FIR under section 302 against a security guard of the Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu in Satwari police station for firing at the mob that led to the death of youth.

 

Police also confirmed that elders of the Sikh community had on Friday returned the AK-47 rifle which was snatched from a Special Police Officer (SPO) by the protestors in Digiana area of the city on Thursday.

 

The protests which entered a fourth day today are now expected to settle. However, additional police have been deployed in various parts of Jammu, while curfew has been relaxed in some areas. The cremation of the youth’s body will be held today at his ancestral Chohala (RS Pura) village community leaders said.

Educational institutions in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajauri and Poonch districts will be shut for the second consecutive day today.



 



Internet connectivity, which was snapped in order to prevent spreading of rumours after heightened tensions, has been restored through landline broadband facilities in Jammu city, said authorities, adding that the same would be restored on mobile phones by today.

Authorities will also take a call today on lifting restrictions imposed in Jammu city under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure or CrPC.

“We will review the situation in the afternoon”, DGP, K. Rajendra Kumar told news agency IANS.