SHIMLA: Amny was called out in three major towns of Kangra district Dharamsala, Nagrota and Kangra to assist the civil authorities in maintaining law and order after the police failed to contain violence which erupted in these towns when an irate mob of preservationists damaged public and private property and set ablaze some government vehicles.
The Army has also been called out in Una following deterioration of the situation. One more town of Kangra, Gaggal, has also been brought under the Army.
The police opened fire in the air at Una, 135 km from here, to prevent a direct clash between pro and anti-reservationists after a baton charge and use of teargas shells failed to have any effect. Men were injured. Four seriously injured persons including two policemen have been shifted to the PGI Chandigarh.
According to reports teaching here from Kangra district, the trouble started in Dharamsala when preservationists took out a procession. The anti-reservationists also came out on the streets to clash with their rivals. The mob damaged over 80 private houses, government offices including a Central Cooperative Bank branch and the deputy commissioner’s office. The police could not control the situation and the Army was called to assist the civil authorities. Troops conducted flag marches in all the affected towns. Over 30 persons were injured in the violence.
All markets and business establishment remained closed. Traffic also remained disrupted.
Reports from Sunder agar in Mandi district said that the town observed a bandh for the third consecutive day. Anti-reservationists held a rally in the PWD Rest House complex and denounced central govtThe bus and telecom services were disrupted.
CHANDIGARH: Anti reservationist’s turned violent at some places in Haryana while students blocked traffic at several places in Punjab.
The anti-reservationists turned violent in Uchana Mandi in Jind district in Haryana and set a blaze telephone exchanges in Ambala city and cantonment, Gurgaon Panchkula and Kharkhoda town observed complete bandh. Police fired in the air in Uchana Mandi.
In Punjab the anti-reservation agitation further spread in Amritsar with girl students from schools and colleges joining the agitators to block traffic at several places in the city. In Jalandhar, about 500 Preservationists took out a procession and beat up several persons and broke the window panes of a state transport bus.
Bus services continued to be affected in several parts of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
SOLAN: All work in government offices of the state as well as Centre came to a stand as over 5,000 employees went on an indefinite strike and took out a profession in the town.
Students of various educational institutions, despite closure of the schools, colleges and university joined the employees and staged a massive rally.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 14, 1990
