Holy mess: Protests over Amarnath land justified?
CNN-IBN
Jul 04, 2008
SMOKE AND FIRE: Police stations were set of fire and vehicles were burnt across India.
(3 videos)
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The holy pilgrimage of the Amarnath Yatra is snowballing into a political controversy. A nation-wide bandh called by the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad disrupted normal life in many parts of the country on Thursday - all to protest against the J&K government's decision not to finally transfer land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.
Four people were killed in Madhya Pradesh and many injured in Jammu after mobs go berserk in parts of Maharashtra and Punjab. Trains and traffic were stopped even as Madhya Pradesh emerged as the epicentre.
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(VHP in Action in Bombay see report below)
The Hindu, 4 July 2008
J&K government emporium attacked
Special Correspondent
ART NOT SPARED: Alleged Bajrang Dal activists ransacking the Kashmir Arts Emporium in South Mumbai on Thursday.
MUMBAI: Miscreants attacked the Jammu and Kashmir government Emporium here on Thursday to enforce a bandh called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in protest against the Ghulam Nabi Azad government’s decision to revoke allocation of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.
The right wing activists, raising slogans against the J&K government, poured into the Emporium at the busy Sir P.M. Road in Fort area and damaged the art goods on sale.
Sensing more trouble, the police were deployed in strength at the showroom. A case was registered.
VHP and BJP activists disrupted traffic at Santacruz, Vile Parle, Borivali, Thakurdwar and Vakola here. They forced closure of shops at several places in the city and suburbs.
In Girgaon locality of South Mumbai, BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde was among the protesters who disrupted traffic. The police arrested 45 workers including Mr. Munde.
“The bandh was successful and we got a good response despite one day’s notice,” said State VHP secretary Venkatesh Abdeo. However, he denied that the VHP-Bajrang Dal activists were involved in the attack on the Kashmir Emporium. About 2000 workers were arrested in the State.
In adjacent Thane city, the activists disrupted traffic at several places and forced shops’ closure.
Police sources said three activists were arrested in Naupada and Wagle Estate during the protests.
The response to the bandh call was mixed in other cities and towns. Protestors threw stones in Kalyan, Dombivili and other towns of Thane district. In Pune, several schools remained closed. The city buses were withdrawn from different routes in Nagpur city after stoning.