J&K Congress stages sit-in, several detained as police foil march to L-G's residence

The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Sunday intensified its campaign for the restoration of statehood, with police foiling the party's march to Lok Bhavan in Jammu and detaining dozens of its leaders and workers as they attempted to submit a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu through the Lieutenant Governor.

A heavy police deployment was made at Jewel Chowk and Vinayak Bazar to prevent the Congress procession from reaching the Lieutenant Governor's residence. Police barricaded the route, and after a brief scuffle as protesters attempted to move past the barricades, senior party leaders and workers were taken into preventive detention and shifted to the District Police Lines, Gandhi Nagar. They were released later.

The protest began with a sit-in at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, where Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra, AICC general secretary GA Mir, working president Raman Bhalla, former ministers, ex-legislators and hundreds of party workers from across Jammu and Kashmir participated.

Carrying placards and raising slogans such as "Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq", the protesters marched towards Lok Bhavan, demanding the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the gathering, Karra accused the Centre of deliberately delaying the fulfilment of its repeated assurances on restoring statehood.

"The Congress has been campaigning for the restoration of statehood for nearly two years through district-level programmes, hunger strikes and campaigns under the slogans 'Chalo Srinagar', 'Chalo Jammu' and 'Chalo Delhi'. We will continue this struggle until statehood is restored," he said.

Karra said the Congress had decided not to join the National Conference-led government after the swearing-in of the elected government on October 16, 2024, without the restoration of statehood.

"On that day, the Congress made it clear that it would not become part of the government but would continue fighting for statehood," he said.

Announcing the next phase of the agitation, Karra said the party would launch another round of district-level programmes and was also considering a long march from Lakhanpur in Kathua to Lolab in north Kashmir to mobilise public support for the demand.

He said he and GA Mir would travel to New Delhi to participate in the National Conference's protest at Jantar Mantar on Monday, adding that the Congress central leadership would decide the participation of other leaders.

Karra also urged the government to announce a comprehensive rehabilitation package for families affected by the recent flash floods in Poonch and Rajouri, saying the disaster had caused extensive loss of life and property.

Addressing the gathering, GA Mir praised the Jammu and Kashmir Congress leadership and party workers for sustaining the statehood campaign, saying the demand had now become a people's movement.

He said the people had voted in large numbers in the Assembly elections believing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance that statehood would be restored after delimitation and elections.

"Nearly two years have passed, but there has been no indication from the Centre on fulfilling that commitment," Mir said.

Welcoming the National Conference's protest in Delhi, Mir said every platform that strengthened the demand for statehood deserved support, as it was an issue concerning all the people of Jammu and Kashmir. However, he alleged that the BJP's proposed protest in Srinagar appeared to be an attempt to divert attention from the statehood campaign.

Working president Raman Bhalla said the Congress' sustained movement had transformed the restoration of statehood into the voice of every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. He accused the BJP of insulting Maharaja Hari Singh by downgrading and bifurcating the erstwhile state and asserted that the Congress would continue its peaceful agitation until the demand for full statehood was fulfilled.