SRINAGAR: The district administration of Samba has imposed Section 144 around the Sarore Toll Plaza in response to ongoing protests on the Jammu-Pathankot highway. Additionally, they have removed the agitating volunteers of the Yuva Rajput Sabha from the Toll Plaza site.
Officials informed the news agency KNO that Section 144 was imposed by District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma. Following this, police vehicles made announcements and appealed to the protesting Yuva Rajput Sabha activists to vacate the toll plaza, where they had been demonstrating since the afternoon.
Sources indicated that the restriction was specifically imposed on protests and the assembly of people, not affecting normal traffic. However, the Yuva Rajput Sabha was reluctant to comply with the prohibition orders, which eventually led the police to forcibly remove the protesters and detain many of their leaders.
Earlier, carrying tri-color and organisational flags, hundreds of Yuva Rajput Sabha activists marched towards the Sarore Toll Plaza from various parts of Jammu. During the protest, some unidentified individuals in the rally pelted stones at the cabins of the Toll Plaza, causing damage to the glass windows.
A leader of the Yuva Rajput Sabha declared, “We will not cease protesting until the government issues an immediate order regarding the suspension of the toll plaza.”
Members of the Sabha staged an indefinite sit-in at the toll site, stating, “The Dogra community never surrenders and will fight for our rights until the last breath.”
Locals voiced their concerns, saying, “Tolls are paid for road maintenance, but when the connectivity is poor, why should we pay? The government should immediately suspend it.”
A heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces was witnessed at the site, with administrative officials also present to pacify the protesters.
The activists held a dharna at the tax plaza and issued a fresh ultimatum to the administration, demanding the suspension of toll collection at Sarore Plaza within the next two days due to poor road conditions and a damaged bridge at Dayalachak.
It is pertinent to note that traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway has been affected since July 19 when the bridge on Tarnah Nallah near Dayalachak suffered damages due to the overflowing Ujh River. Traffic has been diverted towards the border village to connect with the highway near Chadwal. (KNO)
