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.

Separately, the Bharatiya Janata Party said it had postponed a planned 20 July protest outside the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, against the National Conference government’s outsourcing of jobs in Jammu and Kashmir. The party cited flash floods that caused heavy loss of life and property, and Opposition leader Sunil Sharma said a fresh date would be announced after conditions normalise.

Background and earlier position

Jammu and Kashmir has remained a Union Territory since the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The demand for restoration of statehood has continued across party lines, and political parties in the region have used public demonstrations, memoranda, and legislative pressure to keep the issue on the national agenda.

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