Jammu: A complete shutdown is being observed across Jammu division comprising Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts after the Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Jammu (CCIJ), Jammu High Court Bar Association, and several other groups called for a Jammu bandh to protest against collection of toll tax at Sarore on Jammu-Pathankot highway and smart meter installation.
On Wednesday, Samba saw a shutdown over the arrests, while the protests spread to Kathua and Vijaypur. Other areas of the division area saw a demonstration against the administration’s move to install smart electricity meters, with consumers complaining that they have been getting inflated power bills since the new meters were installed.
Authorities had imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which forbids the gathering of four or more people at a particular place, in and around the toll plaza late Monday.
Meanwhile, the Jammu chamber and other groups have also demanded release of Yuva Rajput Sabha leaders who were arrested during recent protests and road blockade in Jammu.
However, police said the Rajput Sabha activists will not be released until the vandalism is not stopped.
