A protest march organised by the Congress’s J&K unit, pressing the demand for restoration of statehood to the Union Territory, was prevented by police from continuing outside the gates of the party headquarters, the Congress said Saturday.
Led by J&K Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra, alongside other leaders such as AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the party scheduled a march from the party headquarters at MA Road to the Divisional Commissioner’s Office to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Lieutenant Governor calling for the restoration of complete statehood to J&K.
However, “a heavy contingent of police prevented the peaceful march at the gates of the party headquarters,” a statement from the party said.
Accusing the police of using “brute force” to prevent the march, the Karra said, “We want to take the aspirations of the people of J&K to a deaf and mute government. The letter that Rahul (Gandhi) ji and (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji wrote to the PM is backed by 233 members of the INDIA bloc.” He also said without the intervention of the Congress, the restoration of statehood to J&K would be “impossible”.
The party said Karra received minor injuries during the scuffle.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi on July 17 wrote to the PM, seeking the introduction of legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the UT of J&K.
Although stopped from venturing out of the party HQ premises, Congress workers carried out the protest from behind the gates, shouting slogans. Subsequently, dozens of Congress workers, including those from the Youth Congress, were detained.
