Students clash with stranded Kashmiri passengers in Jammu

At least six stranded Kashmir Valley residents, including a woman, were injured when local students pelted stones on them as they were staging a protest against the administration here on Monday.

With the Jammu-Srinagar Highway remaining closed for the sixth consecutive day on Monday, dozens of stranded Kashmiri passengers, staying in the Canal Road area, raised slogans against the state administration for its failure to arrange their passage home.

It was then students from the nearby science college pelted stones at them, saying they were offended by the protesters allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans.

The students among the stranded Kashmir residents, however, said they had only chanted religious slogans like "Allah-u-Akbar" (Allah is Great) and this appeared to have been interpreted by miscreants as pro-Pakistan slogans.

Police reached the spot and baton-charged the local students to disperse them and bring the situation under control.

Authorities then shifted the stranded Kashmiri passengers from Mufti hotel on the Canal Road to technical area of Jammu airport.

Stranded passengers alleged that their buses were also stoned while they were being shifted.

Meanwhile, authorities said 300 stranded passengers have already been airlifted to the Valley and similar arrangements were being made for others as well.

--IANS

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