Five detained for locking Kashmir House in Delhi

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Five members of the Delhi-based Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena (BSKS) were detained for a few hours here Thursday for locking the main gate of the Jammu and Kashmir House demand an increase in the duration of the Amarnath Yatra, police said.

A case has been filed against all five.

"They locked the main gate of the Jammu and Kashmir House ataround 4.30 p.m. We reached the spot and broke the lock and detained all ofthem. We let them off after filing an FIR," a police official said.

BSKS president Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga said: "We want the duration of the Amarnath Yatra to increase to at least 120 days and our struggle will continue till our demand is met."

Bagga claimed that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was locked inside for an hour while they protested outside. Police however, refused to verify this claim.

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) which manages the shrine and is headed by Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra, has decided to start the pilgrimage June 25 and to end Aug 2 (39 days), the full moon day of the Hindu month of 'Shravan'.

Hindu groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal want the pilgrimage period to be two months.