Article 370 abrogation: Police thwart NC protest march in J&K

Police on Tuesday foiled a protest march by the ruling National Conference (NC) here against the Centre's August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 and divide the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

Led by NC Kashmir president Showkat Ahmad Mir, MLAs and senior leaders assembled at the party headquarters Nawa-i-Subah here and raised slogans against the Centre's decision taken on August 5, 2019, and called for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Raising slogans like "August 5, 2019, decisions are not acceptable", "Black laws are not acceptable" and "Restore Articles 370 and 35A", the protesters tried to march towards the Lal Chowk city centre but were not allowed to step out of the party office complex by police, who shut the gates of Nawa-i-Subah.

NC state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said police did not allow the party leaders to move out and even "pushed some leaders".

"Our MLA Salman Sagar was injured in the melee. He suffered foot injuries," Dar said.

He said the NC activists wanted to march towards the historic clock tower at Lal Chowk to register their protest against the Centre's August 2019 decisions.

"We also wanted to press our demand for the restoration of statehood as it has been six years now (since Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded to a union territory)," he added.

Meanwhile, Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone said August 5 will always be a "brutal reminder of undermining of democracy" and "an ugly example of selective targeting".

"This was the day when whatever little was left from the glories of the past was taken away. I will never lose hope. We will get what has been taken away. If the glories don't last, the inglorious won't last either," Lone said in a post on X.

Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said August 5 is a "painful reminder of a dark moment in our recent history".

"On this day in 2019, the sudden and sweeping constitutional changes by Centre left deep scars on the hearts and minds of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have said it before and I will say it again: New Delhi must uphold the dignity and democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The restoration of these rights is not an act of generosity, it is a constitutional and moral obligation," Bukhari wrote on X.

He said the region has gone through a prolonged phase of violence and bloodshed, and the people have suffered immensely over the past several decades, and "therefore they long for peace, justice, and dignity -- fundamental aspirations that can no longer be ignored".

"This is the right time for New Delhi to initiate a genuine, inclusive and meaningful dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in order to address their issues and grievances and move towards a lasting resolution," Bukhari said.