Massive rallies by people at Muthi-Domana (left) and Samba town (right) on Sunday. . —Excelsior/Rakesh
Curfew defied at several places by protesters
Curfew imposed in Rajouri, Bhaderwah
*Pathankot people too join stir, block trains

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Aug 3: Curfew was today imposed in Rajouri and Bhaderwah towns in anticipation of flare-up in tension while it continued in Jammu and Samba districts for third day today with Army patrolling the streets and staging flag march at different places. Udhampur town also remained under curfew since last night. However, people defied curfew restrictions taking out huge rallies at different places across Jammu, Samba and Udhampur districts. Similar protest rallies were taken out in Kathua district where authorities removed Additional SP Kathua Benam Tosh for not resorting to lathicharge on peacefully protesting women at Kali Bari last night and replaced him with SP Rajeshwar Singh, presently posted as Additional Yatra Officer, Amarnath shrine. In support of Jammu movement for restoration of 800 kanals of forest land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), being spearheaded by Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS), people of Pathankot district in Punjab in the neighborhood of Jammu’s Kathua district, disrupted train traffic at Chakki Bank hours........more

146 dead in temple stampede

BILASPUR/ANANDPUR SAHIB, Aug 3: In the worst-ever temple tragedy in Himachal Pradesh, 146 devotees, including 30 children, were killed and more than 50 injured today in a stampede at the Naina Devi Shrine triggered by rumours of a landslide. Rumours of a landslide and rolling down of boulders from a nearby hilltop spread fear among the devotees resulting in the stampede as a large number of people trekking up and returning from the shrine ran into each other in a bid to escape. Braving heavy rains, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 pilgrims had gathered at the popular temple to offer prayers on the occasion of ‘Navratra’, a nine-day religious festival involving fasting in reverence to Goddess Durga worshipped as the symbol of power. .....more

Cable operations suspended, resumed

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 3: After ensuring day-long black out of local Television channels, the administration this evening rescinded its earlier order and permitted the channels—Take1 and JK to resume telecast of programmes. The decision to allow channels to resume their operations was taken following a meeting with the management of the television channels this evening. JK Channel Additional MD Rajinder Arora and Mir Jameel from Take 1 were present in the meeting. The ban on the channels was imposed to prevent them from giving instantaneous coverage to the ongoing agitation over Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) land row. However, Managing Director of JK Channel, Subash Choudhary told the Excelsior from New Delhi the administration rescinded its order after All India Cable Operators Association threatened to stop operations throughout the country. He said that the channels were not making any sort of violations of Cable Network Regulation Act, 1995. Mr. Choudhary denied that management of channel has compromised its stand in the meeting, saying administration was forced to withdraw its ealier order......more

Samiti extends bandh by 5 days

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 3: Taking serious exception to the suppressive and oppressive measures adopted by the State Government to crush the present movement for restoration of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (SAYSS), which is spearheading the present agitation, extended the Jammu bandh by another five days from tomorrow "We will not be cowed down by such authoritarian attitude of the Government and stick to our core demand i.e. restoration of land to SASB", convenor, Sangarsh Samiti, Leela Karan Sharma told Excelsior. He said this decision was taken in the executive meeting of the Samiti this afternoon at Geeta Bhawan here under his chairmanship.......more

Sonia speaks to Rajnath

NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today called BJP president Rajnath Singh to discuss the Amarnath row in Jammu and reportedly sought the Opposition’s support in bringing normalcy to the region. "Sonia Gandhi called up Rajnath Singh seeking support of the Opposition to calm down the aggravating situation in Jammu," BJP sources said. Singh told Gandhi that the initiative, to control the ongoing massive agitation against revocation of the land allotment to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board will have to be taken by the Government. The BJP has been demanding that 100 acres of land alloted to the shrine should be restored. It has lent its support to the Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti which is spearheading the agitation. ....more

Repression won't bring normalcy: BJP

NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Expressing concern over the deteriorating situation in Jammu region caused by the Government taking back the land allotted to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, the BJP today said the Government should realise that repression, as an instrument to bring back normalcy, would not work. Stating that situation in Jammu even after the deployment of Army had not prevented the protestors showing up on the streets and blockading the traffic, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley who was among those detained in Jammu yesterday told newspersons that the people were anguished about the wrong decision to revoke the land allotted to the Shrine Board. .....more

Curfew relaxation for 3 hrs today Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Aug 3: The District Magistrate, Jammu, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari has ordered relaxation in curfew in district Jammu from 5 a.m to 8 a.m tomorrow....more