Jammu: Youth Congress workers in Jammu on Wednesday held a protest march against the State Government following which over 60 activists were taken into preventive custody by the police.
The march to Kashmir, foiled by the police, was to be undertaken to hoist the Tricolour and protest against the “pro-Pakistan” and “anti-India” incidents during the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed rule.
Indian Youth Congress Chief Amrinder Singh Brar was among those taken into preventive custody.
Brar demanded that a case be registered against the Chief Minister for his alleged failure to rein in separatists who raised Pakistani flags and pro-Pakistan slogans in Kashmir.
Led by Brar and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Gulam Ahmed Mir, over 200 to 300 activists and leaders of Youth Congress left for Kashmir from Jammu city.
As they reached Hari Niwas crossing here, heavy police contingent led by several senior officers put barricades and prevented them from moving to Srinagar in view of traffic restriction on J-K Highway.
However, scores of activists, including Raja, along with state Youth Congress Chief Pranav Shagotra, President of South Kashmir Parliamentary Constituency Naseer Mir, sat on a ‘Dharna’ amid sloganeering against the BJP-PDP Government as Raja waved the National Flag.
As the request of SP South Shiv Kumar Choudhan and SDPO City Prabeet Singh to the leadership to call-off the ‘Yatra’ failed, police made preventive arrests and Raja, Pranav, Mir along with over 40 leaders and activists were taken into preventive custody.
“We cannot allow them to move towards Kashmir in view of the traffic restriction of J-K Highway. We have taken them into preventive custody,” Singh told PTI.
While talking to reporters as he was being taken to police lines, Raja alleged, “BJP-PDP Government did not allow us to march to Kashmir. They used police to foil our ‘Yatra’ to Kashmir to hoist the Tricolour there to hold protests against the Mufti government.”
“If an action is taken against the common man, why not against Sayeed. Those who will deliver pro-Pakistan statements –whether it is Amrinder Singh or Mufti Sayeed, action should be taken against them,” he said.
Hitting out at Mufti, Raja said that the day he took over as CM, he credited Pakistan and militants for successful polls rather than people of the State, police, security forces and administration.
“It was his blunder to release Masarat Alam, who was instrumental in raising Pakistan flags and slogans,” he said.
He also demanded slapping of the Public Safety Act against the separatists and their arrest.
He said the Congress’ rally aims to carry a message to the youth of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir that some political parties are using them as vote bank and “misguiding” them.
Mir accused the BJP and PDP of “deceiving people by polarisation on regional lines to come to the power in the State”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi during election campaign asked people to vote against father-son (NC) and father- daughter (PDP) duos and now his party has formed government with father-daughter party (PDP)” he said.
JKPCC Chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Senior Vice President, Sham Lal Sharma; CLP Leader Nawang Rigzin Jora; Vice President, Raman Bhalla; General Secretaries Manjit Singh, Th. Manmohan Singh; Secretaries Neeraj Gupta, Nirdosh Sharma, Manjit Singh Jatt, Sanjeev Sharma and Amit Chib; Secretary IYC In-charge J&K, Uma Shanker Pandey; PYC President, Pranav Shagotra; General Secretary PYC, Rajveer Singh; Lok Sabha Presidents Satish Sharma, Naseer Mir and Pankaj Basotra; Vice President Lok Sabha Vinay Sharma; General Secretaries LYC Paramjit Singh, Rajan Sharma, Charnjeet Singh, Ajat Shatru Sharma and Aijaz Mehar; Presidents AYC Rashid Malik, Kewal Krishan, Pankaj Sharma, Rajiv Gupta, Vinod Kumar, Sahil Kumar, Rashid Mughal, Zaheer Abbas, Amit Sharma, Rakesh Sharma, Hoshiar Singh Chib, Vijay Magotra, Jatinde Chib, Aman Gupta, Balbir Singh, Vijay Tagotra, Khushwant Singh and Deepak Gupta and General Secretaries AYC Ricky Calhotra, Chetan Wanchoo, Vikram Bhandari, Varinder Singh Chib, Aswani Sharma, Sandeep Singh, Jagjot Singh and Ramnek Singh were among those who joined the protest rally.
Defence Minister to….
said on Wednesday.
Parrikar along with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag will fly to Leh from New Delhi and will be briefed on the security situation along borderline with Pakistan and China by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 14 Corps Lt Gen B S Negi, they said.
He will later fly to Sringar and get briefing on security situation and border situation by General Officer Commanding of 15 Corps Lt General Subrata Saha.
Parrikar will review overall security situation, corss- border infiltration and measures on security grid for LoC and counter terrorist operations besides Amarnath Yatra security. (PTI)