Police foil Congress statehood march to Lok Bhavan, detain party leaders in Jammu

Police on Sunday foiled the Congress’ march to Lok Bhavan (Lt. Governor’s residence) in Jammu by detaining dozens of leaders and activists attempting to submit a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu demanding immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

The protest, led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra, came a day ahead of the National Conference’s proposed demonstration in New Delhi on the same demand.

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A large number of Congress activists first held a peaceful sit-in at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, raising slogans in support of statehood, before attempting to march towards the Lok Bhavan. Police erected barricades and razor wire at Jewel Chowk to stop the procession, triggering a brief scuffle as protesters tried to push through. Officials said dozens of Congress leaders and activists, including Karra, AICC general secretary G A Mir, working president Raman Bhalla, and several former ministers and legislators, were taken into preventive custody.

Earlier, Karra said the Congress had been campaigning for the restoration of statehood for nearly two years, taking the message to all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir through district-level programmes, hunger strikes and campaigns under the slogans “Chalo Srinagar”, “Chalo Jammu” and “Chalo Delhi”.

He said the memorandum was intended to be submitted at the lieutenant governor’s residence for onward transmission to the President of India.
Karra also announced that the party would intensify its agitation with a second round of district-level programmes and was considering a long march from Lakhanpur in Kathua to Lolab in north Kashmir.

Asked about the Congress’ participation in Monday’s NC protest at Jantar Mantar, Karra said he, along with Mir, were leaving for New Delhi, while the party’s central leadership would decide which other leaders would participate.
Mir said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had voted in large numbers in the Assembly elections, believing the Prime Minister’s assurance that statehood would be restored after delimitation and elections.

“Nearly two years have passed, but there has been no indication from the Centre on fulfilling that commitment,” he said.
Referring to the NC protest scheduled for Monday, he said the Congress welcomed every platform that strengthened the demand for statehood as it was an issue concerning all the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

However, he alleged that the BJP’s decision to hold protests in Srinagar on Monday appeared to be an attempt to “sabotage” the Delhi protest in support of statehood.