J&K Congress Stages Sit-In for Statehood, March to Lok Bhavan Stopped; Dozens Detained

• Statehood Stir Heats Up in Jammu as Congress March to Lok Bhavan Foiled, Dozens Detained

JAMMU, JULY 19: Dozens of Congress leaders and workers were detained on Sunday after police stopped their march towards Lok Bhavan in Jammu, where they intended to submit a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu demanding immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

The protest, led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee President Tariq Hameed Karra, came a day ahead of the National Conference’s proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on the same demand.

Before attempting the march, hundreds of Congress workers assembled at Maharaja Hari Singh Park in the heart of Jammu city and staged a peaceful sit-in. The protesters raised slogans in support of restoration of statehood and accused the Centre of delaying what they described as a long-standing commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Police had erected barricades at Jewel Chowk to prevent the procession from moving towards Lok Bhavan. Tension briefly rose when some protesters attempted to move past the barricades, leading to a minor scuffle with police personnel.

Officials said several Congress leaders and activists were taken into preventive detention, including Karra, AICC General Secretary G.A. Mir, JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla, and a number of former ministers and legislators.

Speaking to reporters before the march, Karra said the Congress had been campaigning for restoration of statehood for nearly two years and had carried the issue to all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir through protests, hunger strikes and public mobilisation programmes.

He referred to campaigns conducted under slogans such as “Chalo Srinagar”, “Chalo Jammu” and “Chalo Delhi”, saying the party intended to continue building pressure until full statehood was restored.

Karra said the memorandum was to be submitted at the Lieutenant Governor’s residence for onward transmission to the President of India.

He also announced that the Congress planned to intensify its agitation in the coming days through a second round of district-level programmes. The party, he said, was also considering a long march from Lakhanpur in Kathua district to Lolab in north Kashmir as part of its campaign.

On the Congress party’s participation in the National Conference protest scheduled in New Delhi on Monday, Karra said he and G.A. Mir were leaving for the national capital. He added that the party’s central leadership would decide which other senior leaders would take part.

Karra also used the occasion to call for a comprehensive rehabilitation package for families affected by the recent flash floods in Poonch and Rajouri. He said the disaster had caused serious loss of life and property and that affected families required immediate and sustained support.

AICC General Secretary G.A. Mir said people across Jammu and Kashmir had participated in the Assembly elections in large numbers with the belief that statehood would be restored after the completion of delimitation and the electoral process.

He alleged that nearly two years had passed without any clear indication from the Centre regarding a timeline for fulfilling that commitment.

Mir said the Congress had consistently raised the issue under its “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi and Parliament.

Referring to the National Conference’s proposed protest, he said the Congress welcomed every democratic platform that strengthened the demand for restoration of statehood, describing it as an issue that went beyond party lines and concerned the people of the entire Union Territory.

He also criticised the BJP over its reported plans to hold protests in Srinagar on Monday, alleging that the move appeared aimed at weakening the political impact of the Delhi demonstration.

Former minister G.M. Saroori said restoration of statehood was necessary to safeguard democratic rights and address the constitutional aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress leaders maintained that their agitation would remain peaceful but continue with greater intensity until the demand for full statehood was accepted.