Banihal, Apr 13: A protest and sit-in on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) continued for over four hours on Monday at Makarkoot in the Ramsoo sub-division of Ramban district, disrupting traffic movement on both sides.
The highway was blocked by protectors at arround 10 am in the Monday morning. A large number of men and women, including relatives of the missing youth from Ramsoo, Makarkoot, and Pogal Paristan, are participating in the protest.
Officials said vehicular movement remained completely halted at Makarkoot and several other points along NH-44 in Ramban district due to the ongoing agitation.
Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mohammad Alyas Khan, and SSP Ramban, Arun Gupta, rushed to the spot and are engaging with protesters in an attempt to restore normalcy. A heavy deployment of police has been made in the area to maintain law and order.
The protest erupted following the disappearance of Tanveer Ahmed Chopan, who allegedly jumped into Nallah Bishlari on Sunday afternoon while trying to escape from suspected miscreants chasing him in two vehicles.
Rescue operations are underway, with teams from the NDRF assisting local police and volunteers of the Himalayan QRT Ramsoo in the search efforts.
Meanwhile, police have arrested four persons allegedly involved in the incident, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case.
