Sikh fury spreads in Haryana

Violence over the killing of a sect leader in Vienna spilled over to more parts of Haryana on Tuesday with protestors going on a rampage, damaging vehicles and clashing with police which fired in the air to quell the mob.

Protestors clashed with police near Parade ground on Ambala-Jagadhri road and damaged a building of the Municipal Committee in Jagadhri, where they also burnt a motorcycle, police said.

Police had to fire eight rounds in the air to disperse a violent group of protestors in Jagadhri town in Yamunanagar district, about 100 km from Chandigarh.

Protestors also damaged a government senior secondary school building in Jagadhri besides eight cars belonging to the school staff and some motorcycles.

The school students, who were inside the building, were taken to safety by school authorities. The mob then damaged two trucks and a car at Jagadhari bus stand on Tuesday morning.

Protestors also damaged a motorcycle, a jeep and a fire tender on Ambala road. A complete bandh was observed in Jagadhri while Yamunanagar observed a partial bandh.

When asked about the situation in the state, Haryana's Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) V N Rai told PTI that barring 'stray incidents in Jagadhri, the rest of the state was peaceful'.

"The situation is normal elsewhere in Haryana. Traffic on the highways is running smoothly," Rai said.

There were reports of protests in Mullana and Naraingarh towns, about 50 km from here. Protestors also damaged some vehicles in Mullana, police sources said. Protestors also damaged a police booth at Naraingarh, where about 900 protestors had taken to the streets and damaged about six cars and a truck in Naraingarh.

Senior civil and police officials from Ambala have rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

As a precautionary measure, the administration has ordered closure of all schools in Ambala for the day.

Meanwhile, three trains bound for Punjab and Jammu have been terminated at Ambala junction, including Dadar-Amritsar express, Mumbai-Amritsar deluxe and Shaheed express.