The Indian government Tuesday rushed more than 1200 paramilitary personnel to the volatile northern region of Jammu to assist the local authorities in maintaining law and order as the ongoing stir over the Amarnath land row showed no signs of abating.
The 1200 personnel or 12 battalions were airlifted to Jammu from the national capital, New Delhi. The move came as an indifferent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh looked helpless in the wake of intensifying agitation by Hindu nationalists in the Jammu region and Muslim fundamentalists in the Kashmir valley over land transfer to a Hindu shrine board.
Renewed clashes broke out between police and protesters in Jammu amid calls for a massive rally Wednesday by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti, which is spearheading the agitation in the region.
Hurling stones, protesters fought pitched battles with police who used force to quell violence in Purani Mandi and Parade areas in the heart of Jammu city leaving five hurt. Protest rallies were also taken out in other parts of the region including Samba, Udhampur and Reasi.
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