Unprecedented Assault on Democracy in J&K : Rattan Lal Gupta
Strongly condemns manhandling of CM Omar Abdullah, by LG Administration
Jammu, July 14: Advocate Rattan Lal Gupta, Provincial President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), has strongly condemned the highly condemnable and unjustified act by security officials who physically prevented and allegedly manhandled the sitting Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, as he attempted to offer prayers at the Mazar-e-Shuhada graveyard in Srinagar on Monday.
In a press release issued here today, the senior NC leader said it is both shocking and disgraceful that the elected Chief Minister of the Union Territory was compelled to scale the boundary wall of the graveyard to pay homage to the martyrs of 1931 after being stopped by security forces for two consecutive days. “This reflects the intolerable level of authoritarianism where an elected head of the government is denied his fundamental right to pray and participate in a solemn act of remembrance,” he said.
Rattan Lal Gupta further stated that on July 13, observed as Martyrs’ Day in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and all senior JKNC leaders were forcibly placed under house arrest, clearly indicating a pre-planned attempt by the unelected bureaucracy to suppress democratic expression and erase the memory of those who laid down their lives for justice and dignity.
“This is not just a personal assault on the Chief Minister but a direct attack on democracy itself. The fact that an un-elected administration dares to confine and physically obstruct the elected government is a travesty and mockery of democratic norms,” he asserted.
The Provincial President said Jammu and Kashmir is a sensitive and emotionally charged region, and such provocative actions by security agencies not only insult the constitutional mandate but also threaten to disrupt the fragile peace and public sentiment in the Union Territory.
Calling upon Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take immediate cognizance, he demanded strict action against the officials responsible for manhandling and obstructing the Chief Minister. “This cannot be brushed aside. Accountability must be fixed, and those involved must face consequences,” he urged.
Rattan Lal Gupta warned that if elected leaders continue to be treated with such disdain, the very foundations of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir will stand weakened. The National Conference, he said, will not stay silent and will continue to raise its voice against such unconstitutional and oppressive practices.
“The will of the people, expressed through democratic mandate, cannot be imprisoned. The LG Administration must choose whether it stands with the Constitution or against it,” he added.
