On the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, workers of Congress, National Conference (NC), and PDP staged protests in Jammu, demanding the immediate restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
Joined by members of the All Parties United Morcha (APUM), the parties observed August 5 as a “Black Day”, marking their opposition to the 2019 move that revoked J&K’s special status and downgraded it into two Union Territories.
Senior Congress leaders, including Raman Bhalla, Lal Singh, and Taranjit Singh Tony, garlanded the statue of Maharaja Hari Singh at Tawi Bridge using a crane as part of their symbolic protest. Bhalla said the agitation under the campaign ‘Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq’ would continue until full statehood is restored.
Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma accused the BJP of remote-controlling governance through the LG’s office despite Supreme Court directions to restore statehood. He announced a chain hunger strike from August 9 to 21 during the Parliament’s Monsoon Session.
Similar protests were held across district headquarters. In Rajouri, police detained several Congress workers including MLA Iftikhar Ahmad during a rally attempt.
Meanwhile, NC workers led by Rattan Lal Gupta and PDP activists also held separate protests in Jammu but were stopped by police before their rallies could proceed.(KINS)
