J&K Congress leaders detained; police stop march to L-G’s house
Police in Jammu stopped a Congress march to the Lieutenant-Governor’s residence as the party pressed for restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Congress workers held a peaceful sit-in at Maharaja Hari Singh Park before trying to march to Lok Bhavan.
- Police barricaded the route at Jewel Chowk and detained several Congress leaders and workers.
- The Bharatiya Janata Party postponed a planned protest outside the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, because flash floods caused heavy loss of life and property.
Police in Jammu stopped a Congress march to Lok Bhavan, the Lieutenant-Governor’s residence, and detained several party leaders. The Congress leaders wanted to submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu seeking immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The protest was led by Tariq Hameed Karra, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee. The march came a day before a proposed National Conference demonstration in Delhi on the same demand.
Earlier in the day, Congress workers held a peaceful sit-in at Maharaja Hari Singh Park and raised slogans supporting statehood. Police blocked the route at Jewel Chowk, and a brief scuffle followed when protesters tried to push through the barricade. Dozens of leaders and workers, including G.A. Mir, Raman Bhalla, and former ministers and legislators, were detained.
UPSC can frame this as a question on the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir after the 2019 reorganisation, the demand for restoration of statehood, and the political use of peaceful protest and memoranda. The issue also connects with federalism, democratic dissent, and the powers and limits of the Lieutenant-Governor’s office.
