Seventy Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party activists were arrested as they clashed with police during a bandh called by them in protest against Jammu and Kashmir [Images] government's decision not to hand over forest land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.

Nine persons were injured in baton charge and stone-pelting during the clash, sources said.

Protesters also attacked houses of State Health Minister and senior Congress leader Mangat Ram Sharma and People's Democratic Party legislator Shanti Devi, official sources said.

BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena activists clashed with police at Ragunath Bazaar, City Chowk, Bikram Chowk, Muthi, Kathua, R S Pura, Udhampur, Nagrota, Bari Brahamana, Vijaypur and Samba areas in Jammu district during the bandh.

The protestors also burnt effigies of Governor Vohra, CM Ghulam [Images] Nabi Azad, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and former deputy CM Muzaffar Hussain Baig.

Pathankot-Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was blocked at six places in Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Udhampur districts, where protestors put up barricades, thereby stranding over 2,000 vehicles.

Ten activists were arrested in Jammu and 60 arrested in Kathua district, they said, adding that police baton charged over 1,000 BJP activists to resort traffic on Tawi bridge.

"The situation is under control. There is no major incident reported from anywhere in Jammu region. Some preventive arrests were made," Inspector General of Police Jammu K Rajindra said.