J&K JKPCC President Karra Leads Hunger Strike for Statehood, Faces Police Confrontation Over Protest Venue

Congress Leaders Accuse Administration of High-Handedness as Police Object to Peaceful Sit-In Outside Party Headquarters During Statehood Protest

Jammu,  August 10- JKPCC President Shri Tariq Hameed Karra alongwith  all senior congress leaders, former ministers/ legislators, DCC Presidents of Jammu province today led the chain hunger strike for statehood which started in  Jammu today morning at Tawi Bridge near statue of Maharaja Hari Singh ji.

A large number of Congress leaders and party functionaries assembled at Maharaja Hari Singh ji statue at Tawi Bridge  today morning at 10 am and sat on the hunger strike, after garlanding the statue of Maharaja, raising slogans in favour of restoration of statehood ” Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq “.

All prominent Congress leaders, District Presidents and District Coordinators besides several frontal heads took part in the peaceful protest and hunger strike which continued till late evening. However the venue of hunger strike had to be shifted as the  administration didn’t grant permission for the erection of a shamiana in the nearby area on Tawi Bridge.

The organisers  had also sought permission for erecting a Shamiana at Shaheedi Chowk Park opposite  Congress HQ but there too, the permission was denied. Thereafter the  congress leaders  held a peaceful sit in outside Congress HQ on footpath without any shamiana or fans, but  after sometime there too some police officials led by SDPO & SHO city entered into heated arguments with the President JKPCC and other senior leaders leading to  a surcharged atmosphere, however Shri Karra restrained the angry workers .

The Senior Congress leaders and workers including Mahila workers held day long dharna in Shaheedi Chowk Jammu and continued raising slogans for statehood.

Several senior leaders strongly spoke against the attitude of police administration in misbehaving with the peaceful protestors including President JKPCC and top leadership.
Addressing the gathering, JKPCC President said that Congress party is determined to go ahead with the agitation and continue it till the goal is achieved.

He exhorted the leaders and workers to carry forward the statehood movement which is question of our identity, status, dignity and rights and without it the BJP is running the show through remote control despite elected government. He said that the indications of this remote control is evident today also and when elected government is stopped by unselected administration through police.

Working President Raman Bhalla lashed out at the BJP for downgrading historical Dogra state and denying statehood after six years. He said that BJP is ruling by proxy and controlling the entire law and order machinery despite an elected government.

Ch Lal Singh Ex MP strongly condemned the attitude of the administration in dealing with the oldest democratic party in carrying out peaceful protest for getting rights of citizens.
He said BJP leaders are liar as PM and HM promised statehood on multiple occasions in past six years but they are not ready to grant it untill people fight for it.

Senior leaders Mula Ram also echoed the same sentiments and charged BJP of befooling the people through jumlas. Statehood struggle is getting strong day by day and centre government will have to grant it.

Several senior leaders addressed the gathering and pressed for statehood at the earliest otherwise struggle shall be intensified. Those who addressed  and observed hunger strike include Shah Nawaz Chaudhary, Balwan Singh, Ravinder Sharma,Yogesh Sawhney, Th Balbir Singh, G M Saroori, Ved Mahajan, Yash Pal Kundal, Iftikhar Ahmed MLA, Indu Pawar, Rajnish Sharma, Naresh Gupta, Sain Rasheed ,Kanta Bhan,T S Tony, DCC Presidents,Th Manmohan Singh ( Urban), Hari Singh Chib ( Rural), Asif Naqeeb ( Kishtwar), Vinod Khajuria (Udhampur), SHEIKH  Mujeeb (Doda), Bhupender Singh ( Reasi), Parvez Wani( Ramban), Sanjeev sharma, Samba, Frontal wings, Ajaz Chaudhary (IYC), Vijay Sharma( Seva Dal,Zahida Khan retd DC, Ajay Lakhotra NSUI, Rajesh Sadhotra, Pawan Raina, Shashi Sharma, Shakeel Shah, Dina Nath Bhagat, Namrata Sharma, Amrit Bali, Parveen Akhtar, Parveen shah, Vimla Slathia, Anuradha Sharma,Babal Gupta,Vimla Slathia, Jatin Raina, Bharat Priye, Gajan Singh,  Rajinder Singh Nathu,  Dwarka Choudhary, Ashok Bhagat, Sanjeev Panda, Rajvir Singh, Kapil singh, Vijay Shashtri, Bhavishya Sudan, latish sharma, Jatinder Bhagat, Sonu Dogra, Neeraj Gupta,

Javed Lone, Iqbal Dar, Sohit Sharma, Sat pal Spolia, Varun Mangotra, Rajinder Singh Randhwa, Dewan chand, Pawan Singh, MS Bedi, Pawan Sharma, Rumal Singh, Vijant Pathania, Pro. H.R. Sharma, Bilal  Chaudhary, Rakesh Sharma, Gurmeet Singh, Sunil Thapa ,Janak Mehra, Karan Veer, Jung Bahadur, Nasir Masih, Virinder Manhas, Sanjeev Katal, Bodh Raj, Kewal Jogi,  Vinod Anand,  Ashish and others.