Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 20 : Expressing their outrage over Delhi bus gang rape incident and demanding stern action against the culprits, students of various colleges in Jammu today took out strong protest demonstrations.
Carrying placards and shouting slogans for death penalty to the accused, thousands of students of various colleges boycotted their classes this morning and took to the streets paralyzing vehicular movement at various places.
However, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere as the protests remained almost peaceful while tight security arrangements were made outside the educational institutions.
Police had to face tough time as protesting students of Government College for Women, Parade marched towards the Civil Secretariat where Section 144 of CrPC has already been imposed since Darbare Move to the winter capital. Even as the police restrained students from marching towards the Secretariat Complex, the latter blocked the road and staged dharna thus bringing the traffic to a standstill for some time.
Later, the protesting students marched towards Jammu University and held a demonstration there.
The students from other colleges including Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, GGM Science College, Government SPMR College for Commerce, Government Degree College Paloura, Government MAM College, Government Women Polytechnic, MIET College Kot Bhalwal, Degree College R S Pura and University of Jammu, also took out protest rallies and held demonstrations. Shouting slogans and carrying placards well as banners, the protestors were demanding death penalty for the accused in full public view.
“Instead of hanging a rape accused in closed walls of jail, he should be punished in full public views which may sound barbaric but the only way to check such type of crimes,” opined a student leader while talking to Excelsior.
Students of GCW Gandhi Nagar blocked road in front of the college for some time and later marched toward Bikram Chowk. As protesting students from different colleges converged near Jewel Chowk, traffic remained disrupted on both the Tawi bridges for some time.
In Kathua, protesting students blocked the Jammu-Pathankote National Highway after they boycotted classes and took out march demanding capital punishment for the accused involved in the Delhi gang rape.
Reports said that students of Degree College Kathua and Women College Kathua took out separate protest marches before converging near the Deputy Commissioner’s office where students of some schools also joined them for a strong demonstration there. Later, they moved towards Kalibari Chowk and then National Highway forcing disruption of traffic on the ever-busy road.
The blockade was lifted only after SSP Kathua and Deputy Commissioner Kathua personally reached the spot and convenienced the protesters that traffic should not be disrupted.
There are reports of similar protest in Samba, Akhnoor, Poonch and other areas also where students boycotted their classes and held demonstrations demanding death penalty to the rape accused.
In Akhnoor, the protesting students took out a protest rally in the main bazaar and then staged a dharna on the Jammu-Poonch road thus disrupting traffic there for more than an hour.
A candle light procession was also taken out by Degree College students at Reasi.
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