KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Hundreds of National Conference workers, including senior functionaries, on Monday were detained after being mercilessly cane-charged by police to stop their march towards Civil Secretariat, which opened in the winter capital this morning, to register protest over total failure of PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement issued to the media, NC said nearly 55 workers sustained injuries, one of them seriously. “Police brutality did not even spared the women activists who formed part of the huge rally, comprising thousands, which took off from Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan around noon,” the statement said. “As the senior leaded pleaded with the police that they were holding peaceful demonstrations, as per democratic spirit, they were heckled and moved towards waiting buses and shifted to District Police Lines.”
Anoop Sharma, the seriously injured protester, according to NC is under observation in the hospital for his head injuries.
Those detained include Provincial President Devender Singh Rana besides senior leaders Surjeet Singh Slathia, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Dr Kamal Arora, MLA, Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari, Babu Ram Pal, Rattan Lal Gupta, Th Kashmira Singh, Th Rachpal Singhm, Choudhry Haroon, District President Jammu Dharamveer Singh Jamwal and others.
The rally carried placards, listing the failures of the government and its intolerance to dissent. The protesters were raising slogans against the PDP-BJP duo for bringing the state to such a morass, exit from which appears to be difficult.
Add General Secretary National Conference Dr Sheikh Mustaffa Kamal also joined the protest rally.
Before starting for the Civil Secretariat, the senior leaders expressed anguish over continued border hostilities, resulting in deaths of several civilians as also soldiers, dislocation of thousands of border dwellers, lack of safe accommodation to lodge the displaced people, absence of medicare and other essentials. They said that fear psychosis had engulfed the entire belt of Line of Control from Subjian and Balakote in Poonch to Arnia in Ramnagar, R. S Pura, Hiranagar, Rangoor along International Border. While a colossal damage has been caused to standing crops and residential infrastructure, the border dwellers were clueless about sanity prevailing on borders so that they can rehabilitate their homes and hearths again. “The border dwellers were genuinely feeling left in lurch”, they maintained.
“For ending this traumatic phase, there is immense need to de-esclate the situation by meaningful engagement between India and Pakistan”, the speakers emphasized, saying that wars were no solution to political issues.
National Conference leaders assailed the coalition dispensation for turning Jammu and Kashmir into a police state with responsibility of even running schools in the Valley relegated to the army. “The government has lost connect with the people of both the regions of Kashmir and Jammu and the governance is at its lowest ebb”, they said adding that by and large there is no semblance of government. On all fronts, they said, the government has miserably failed and administrative inertia has led to developmental paralysis which is unprecedented.
Referring to harassment meted out to Gujjar and Bakerwal communities by way of evicting them from their hearths, the National Conference leaders cautioned against the attempts of dividing people and polarizing the situation, saying that it is in nobody’s interest.
They also highlighted the plight of daily wagers, saying that callousness of the government has forced them to take to streets while employees in many other organizations were deprived of timely salaries. They sought immediate regularization of the daily wagers.
National Conference forcefully vouched for the welfare of employees and demanded immediate implementation of the 7th Pay Commission Report.
Seeking end to indiscriminate arrests across the Valley, the National Conference leadership observed that the PDP-BJP government has lost sense of proportion, which was discernible by crushing the dissent within democratic parameters.
Later, the detained functionaries of the National Conference were let-off from District Police Lines.
National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah and Working President Omar Abdullah on Monday condemned the lathicharge on peaceful party rally held in the winter capital, saying muzzling voice of people and showing intolerance to dissent does not augur well for democracy.
The two leaders described as deplorable the large scale detention of workers and senior leaders, who were highlighting miseries of people across the state.
Later, Dr Abdullah visited the Government Medical College, Hospital, Jammu to enquire about the health of Youth National Conference activist Anoop Sharma, who sustained grievous head injuries due to police lathicharge near City Chowk early in the day.
National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammed Sagar also condemned brutal lathicharge on the peaceful party rally, in protest against the failure of PDP-BJP Government, and detention of hundreds of workers including senior leaders.
“The police action is highly deplorable”, Mr Sagar said, adding that the coalition government has lost sense of proportion which is reflected by growing intolerance with dissent.
Sagar said that people have a right to demonstrate democratically and the police brutality on National Conference reflects the ruling coalition’s arrogance of power. He said the party will not be deterred from raising voice against reign of repression let loose by the PDP-BJP combination. “We will continue to play our designated role as the main opposition in the state”, Sagar added.
