April 26, 1980, Forty Years Ago: Kashmir Bandh

The “Kashmir bandh”, the call for which had been given by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, flopped today. The call for the bandh had been given to protest against the alleged harassment of some leading businessmen during this week’s raids by Enforcement wing of the Income-Tax Department in Srinagar.

Janata Meeting

Janata Party President Chandra Shekhar was booed and not allowed to continue his address by members of the Non-Scheduled Castes Welfare Association at a public meeting field on the Sector 17 Parade Grounds here this evening. The meeting had to be abruptly called off after persistent efforts by the Janata Party President find other senior leaders failed to pacify the demonstrators.

BJP Says No To CPM

The National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided not to have any truck with the CPM. According to party sources, this decision was arrived at unanimously after a discussion last­ing over five-and-a-half hours, spread over yesterday and today. The discussion and the decision had arisen from the offer of co-operation made by West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, and the CPM General Secretary. E M S Namboothiripad.

Manipur Firing

The Army and the police exchanged fire with the people’s Liberation Army (PLA) commandos at least twice in and around Imphal during the last 24 hours. In another Incident, one army personnel was injured and his jeep damaged when a mine allegedly laid by insurgents exploded on a main road at Kongba Man beibam Leikao of Imphal.