Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, July 19: Police on Saturday foiled a protest march by Congress leaders and workers here, seeking the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra, the workers gathered at the party office here, with plans to march towards the office of the divisional commissioner to submit a memorandum.
However, police personnel closed the main gate of the party office from outside, preventing the march, they said.
Speaking to reporters, Karra said they were stopped by police from taking out the protest march.
"We wanted to reiterate our demand for statehood and submit a memorandum on our demands," he said.
Karra said several party leaders were stopped from reaching the Congress office.
"We have been informed that many of our leaders and workers have been stopped at different places and not allowed to reach here. This is an undemocratic act on the part of the administration, and it reeks of their frustration," Karra added.
The protestors later dispersed peacefully.
Later, in a post on X, the JKPCC president said the "heavy-handed, undemocratic" use of police power to "suppress our voices" will not deter the party, as he termed the police action a "shameful attack" on democracy.
"JKP's authoritarian mishandling of @INCIndia MLAs, stopped from marching for J&K statehood, is a shameful attack on democracy! Elected voices are being brutally curbed. We demand justice & restoration of our rights, as promised by Parliament & Directed by Honbl Supereme Court.This oppression won't silence us," he said on X.
Karra asserted that statehood was promised on the floor of Parliament, and the Supreme Court directed its restoration. Yet, the LG administration continues to obstruct the legitimate demand, he said.
"J&K Police halted our peaceful march blocked us inside the office, where we were demanding the restoration of statehood, a right unjustly taken from us. This heavy-handed, undemocratic use of police power to suppress our voices will not deter us!
"We will not be silenced. Our resolve is stronger than ever, and no force can stop the people of Jammu and Kashmir from reclaiming what is rightfully ours," he added.
AICC Secretary Shahnawaz Chaudhary condemned the police action.
"This shameful display of force at the closed gates of the office is a direct assault on the democratic rights of elected representatives and the people we serve. The voices of J&K's people, expressed through their elected leaders, cannot and will not be silenced by such oppressive tactics," he said.
Chaudhary said the demand for the restoration of statehood is not just a political stance, but a rightful claim rooted in promises made on the floor of Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and reinforced by the Supreme Court. "The Congress party, alongside our alliance partners in the INDIA bloc, has consistently championed the restoration of these rights, and today's protest was a reflection of that unwavering commitment.
"I am appalled by the LG administration's use of police to curb our democratic expression. The mishandling of our MLAs is not just an attack on the INC but an insult to the democratic fabric of our nation," he said.
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