Jammu, Sept 02: Dozens of ruling National Conference activists were detained on Wednesday while attempting to march towards the BJP headquarters in Trikuta Nagar here as part of a protest seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Led by Jammu provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta, the NC activists assembled at the Trikuta Nagar market and were proceeding towards the nearby BJP headquarters to stage a gherao when they were stopped by a large police contingent deployed at the spot.
The protesters attempted to cross the barricades and were subsequently detained by police, officials said, adding they boarded them into two waiting vehicles and took them to district police lines, effectively foiling their proposed BJP office gherao.
Prominent among those detained by police include Gupta, provincial secretary Sheikh Bashir Ahmad and former minister Ajay Sadhotra, the officials said.
Earlier, a NC spokesperson said the party would peacefully gherao the BJP headquarters to demand accountability for commitments made by the Union government in Parliament and before the Supreme Court.
“Our demands are clear — constitutional guarantees, restoration of statehood, clearance of the reservation file and justice for the people of J-K,” the spokesman said.
The protesters carried placards carrying messages, including “BJP failed to raise the voice of J-K,” “restore statehood,” “BJP failed to bring employment package” and “BJP creating hurdles for statehood.”
The spokesman said the mandate given by the people of Jammu and Kashmir could not be treated as a blank cheque and called for the commitments made to the people to be honoured.
“The mandate of the people of J-K is not a blank cheque. It must be respected, not taken for granted,” he said.
