Jammu: Scores of lawyers staged a protest on the Janipur Road today, blocking the Bantalab-Janipur route near High Court Chowk in response to an alleged manhandling incident involving traffic police personnel.
The protest was sparked after Advocate Rohit Sharma, President of the Young Lawyers Association (YLA), claimed to have been mistreated by traffic police while on his way to Janipur-Bantalab road.
According to reports, Advocate Rohit Sharma had briefly stopped his vehicle to drop a colleague when traffic police personnel objected to the stoppage. This led to a heated argument between the traffic police and the lawyers. Upon hearing of the incident, several other advocates rushed to the location, where tensions escalated, culminating in the blockade of the road by the protesting lawyers.
Prominent participants in the protest included Nirmal Kotwal (President of the Jammu Bar Association), Baldev Singh (Vice President), Pardeep Majotra, Abhinav Sharma, Gagan Deep Singh (alias Lucky), and others. The lawyers demanded action against the traffic police personnel involved in the altercation.
To restore order and resume traffic movement, senior police officials, including Vivek Shekhar, SP North City, arrived at the scene. After discussions, the situation was brought under control.
In a swift response to the incident, Traffic Police Jammu announced the suspension of ASI Kamal Kumar Sharma, who was accused of misbehaving with Advocate Rohit Sharma.
In a formal order issued by the Sr. Superintendent of Police, Traffic City Jammu, ASI Sharma has been instructed to report to Traffic Police Lines (TPL) Jammu and deposit all government-issued uniform articles at the TPL store. He is also entitled to receive subsistence allowances as per the rules during his suspension period.
A formal enquiry has been ordered into the allegations, with Additional SP (Traffic) City Jammu tasked with conducting the investigation. The enquiry will assess the merits of the allegations, and the findings, along with the necessary documents, are expected to be submitted within a fortnight for further action.
