Jammu, August 21: 1n protest against delay in restoration of 800 kanals land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and resentment against complete failure of Central and State Governments to hear the voice of the people, a three-day Jail Bharo Andolan was organised by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS) whose agitation for restoration of the land entered the 53rd day and observed a complete bandh on the 30th day of August 21. Over seven lakh people including a large number of women, children and saints carrying tridents, a symbol of Lord Shiva and lathis, joined by a number of Muslims including Gujjars and also by Sikhs took to streets in entire Jammu region on August 21, offering themselves for arrest.
Scene on the roads in Jammu City, its outskirts and peripheries looked as all people including men, women, children and youth including elderly citizens besides entire sadhu samaj like saints, preachers, pujaris and priests had come out of their houses to religious places to offer themselves for court arrest in response to a call given by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS) and to voice their resentment against complete failure of the Central and State Governments to hear the voice of the people, who have been agitating for restoration of the land for the last 53 days and observing a complete bandh for the last 30 days.
From Rajouri to Lakhanpur and from RS Pura to Doda there was no police station left across the Jammu region where people in hundreds didn'tturn up to court arrest. Entire administration was completely left to the mercy of protesters especially in Jammu City and peripheries where people gate-crashed into police stations, took control of entire complexes, hoisted tricolor and saffron flags, held kirtans and put in place the pictures of Lord Shiva atop their roofs chanting Bum bum Bhole; Jo hamse takrayega, choor choor ho jayega; Hum deewane kahan chale, jail chale bhai jail chale; Jammu ki naariyan, aag ki chingariya, Inquilab zindabad and Ek do teen chaar, Bhole aapki jai jai kaar.
Virtually all police stations in the region, barring a few, were converted by the women into the ?temples? holding satsang and kirtans singing bhajans in praise of Lord Shiva chanting Bum bum Bhole; Aaj hamein yeh kahna hai, jeena hai ya marna hai, Laathi goli khayenge, zameen waapis layenge and Desh ke gadaron ko, jute maaro saalon ko.
The men in khaki do not know how to handle enthusiastic activists of the Sangharsh Samiti converging outside police stations to court arrest. For the last two days majority of police stations across the Jammu region have virtually become kirtan kendras where women chant slogans and sing bhajans without facing resistance.
No policeman dare touch activists inside the police stations as passions run high throughout the day. Each morning the activists first force their entry inside police stations as part of the Jail Bharo Andolan. After gaining entry inside the police stations, the enthusiasts climb rooftop of the police stations and hoist a Tricolour and then begins the endless session of religious chants.
Women occupy seats under the shade of specially pitched tents and men take positions in corridors. All those who fail to find a place either stand on vehicles parked inside the police stations or climb the walls of the police stations to take some rest.
Unitedly, raising pitch of their voices all these activists endlessly chant slogans eulogising Lord Shiva and dance to the rhythmic beats of bhajans. Scanty police force stand mute spectator and guard them. At several places scenes of a tug-of-war are enacted as police force struggle to block the entry of activists but give in soon after they are outnumbered by the Shiv bhaktas.
Several thousands children defied curfew restrictions in Jammu to participate on the last day of the Jail Bharo Andolan. The district administration did not relax curfew in Jammu on Wednesday yet there was no trace of administration. Streets swelled with large number of agitators everywhere across Jammu and supporters of Sangharsh Samiti rallied against the Governor and demanded his ouster.
Majority of police stations across Jammu were full of spirited school-going children and even toddlers at many places. They were driven to the police stations by their young siblings in prams pasted with banners, Hum kisi se kum nahin and Hum se na takrana. The children recited nationalist slogans and chanted Bum bum Bhole while offering to court arrest. The policemen, however, found itself in a tight spot over the arrest of children.
