Excelsior Correspondent
REASI, Apr 25: To lodge protest over ‘biased’ police action against members of one community in connection with April 20 incident of clash over alleged bovine smuggling, Reasi town observed a complete bandh on the call given by VHP and Bajrang Dal.
All shops and business establishments remained closed while the public transport was also off the road. Demanding a `fair probe and revocation of FIR against the 11 accused of particular community, people also took out a strong protest march amidst shouting slogans against the police and civil administration.
Adequate deployment of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was made in and around the town while army was also kept on stand-by position. No untoward incident was reported during the bandh, which was complete and peaceful.
There are also reports of complete bandh in Salal, Talwara, Zero Morh, Grah Morh, Marhi and others places.
In Reasi, the protestors assembled at Chowk Chabutra Reasi from where they marched towards Bus Stand complex after passing through Main Bazar and Ganesh Mandir Chowk.
While addressing the gathering, Raghav Kesar, State general secretary of the ABVP demanded fair investigation into the case. He alleged Police nexus with the nomads in smuggling bovine animals. “We have video footage to substantiate our claims. There is clear ban on the transportation of bovines during the night and the law says that six and four bovines respectively can be ferried in a truck and medium load carrier respectively, that too, during day time,” he said.
Other speakers on the occasion alleged that the Police was shielding bovine smugglers by claiming that the nomad family was moving with goats. “Don’t we know the difference between goat and cow?” they said.
The protestors also raised slogans against some national news channels for biased reporting and alleged that the video footage of the bovine smugglers raising pro Pak slogans and resorting to stone pelting were deliberately not shown.
Later on the protestors met DDC Reasi, Ravinder Kumar and put forward their demands such as revocation of charges levelled against 11 persons and action against top Police officers.
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