Srinagar/Aug,24: At least twenty people including traders and transporters were injured after police cane-charged a protest held at Batamaloo on Thursday against the shifting of General Bus Stand to Parimpora.
The protesters had gathered for a sit-in at the erstwhile Batamaloo GBS, however, as soon as they started their march towards the main Batamaloo road, police swung into action and used batons to disperse them.
The Batamaloo area surrounding the bus stand observed a shutdown as shops and business establishments pulled down their shutters in protest.
Muhammad Ashraf Matu, president, All Traders Joint Coordination Committee Batamaloo told Greater Kashmir, “Shifting of the bus stand will be opposed tooth and nail as the decision will leave hundreds of youth unemployed”.
Haji Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf, general secretary of Kashmir Transporters Welfare Association alleged that police and paramilitary CRPF damaged windshields of several passenger vehicles.
“We were holding a peaceful protest but beaten ruthlessly and even our vehicles were damaged,” Yusuf said.
