Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Thursday, with BJP leaders clashing with Engineer Rashid’s brother and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA, Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, for displaying a banner on Article 370.

BJP MLAs, led by the Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, entered the well and clashed with Ahmad Sheikh and other MLAs.

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Amid the pandemonium, the Speaker ordered the marshals to remove the MLAs. He also urged members to behave properly.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had moved a fresh resolution seeking the restoration of Article 370 and 35A, a move that sparked immediate tension in the assembly.

Condemning the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, along with the the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the resolution stated, “These actions stripped J&K of its special status and statehood, undermining the foundational guarantees and protections initially accorded to the region and its people by the Constitution of India.”

Signed by PDP leaders and Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, the resolution underscored the enduring demand for a return to Jammu and Kashmir’s previous Constitutional position.

The restoration of Article 370 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir were the key promises of the ruling National Conference during the recently concluded J&K Assembly elections.