Jammu, August 13 (Scoop News)-Activists of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party today defied curfew restrictions in Jammu and held a protest march demanding imposition of President’s rule in the state alleging that the law and order has totally collapsed in the state.
Hundreds of activists of National Panthers Party led by its president and MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, ex-Minister and MLA harsh Dev Singh, ex-Minister and MLA Yashpal Kundal today defied curfew in Gandhi Nagar area and tried to take out a protest march towards Bikram Chowk area. A large contingent of Police led by SP South Rajeshwar Singh reached Gandhi Nagar and gheraoed the Panthers party activists not allowing them to move towards Bikram Chowk. The Panthers Party activists staged a dharna. Police later arrested the Panthers Party leaders and activists and detained them in Police station Gandhi Nagar. The activists and leaders were freed after five hours of detention.
Addressing the dharna, NPP Chairman and MLA Harshdev Singh refuted the Govt. claims of having brought the situation in the state under control notwithstanding the highly explosive and volatile situating prevailing in the state. He said that with curfew having been clamped in almost all districts including tehsils of Jammu region, caught in the inferno of communal tensions, the statement of the govt. was highly absurd and ridiculous. He said equally farcical and ludicrous was the announcement of the govt. to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lacs for the total loss of property and dwelling/commercial units of the aggrieved victims. He said the public anger against state govt. had not subsided despite the resignation of MoS Home as their faith in the present dispensation had been completely shaken. He rebuked the govt. for curbing the civil liberties of people by continued curfew restrictions with no relaxation. Mr. Singh alleged that the govt. had become a facilitator in the process of destruction due to its complacence and in-efficiency.
Speaking on the occasion, Balwant Singh Mankotia lashed heavily at the National Conference-Congress alliance government for escalation of tensions in the entire state quite reminiscent of 2008 violence. He said that the inaction of the govt. to act on time in Kishtwar and allowing sufficient time to rioters has been solely responsible for the pilferage of fire from one part of the state to other. He said that a conspiracy to create communal divide on the eve of elections can’t be ruled out and needs to be thoroughly probed by a time bound judicial enquiry into the matter. He said it was required to be ascertained as to whether the incident was accidental or a pre-meditated and well planned one, conceived at much higher level.
He also condemned the restrictions on the media claiming that it was a direct assault on the democratic spirit where free flow of information was restricted and rumour mongers were allowed to have a field day. He said that curb on media and not issuing any “curfew passes” to them was an attempt by the government to hide its failure in maintaining law and order. He said that Omar government is synonymous with imposition of curfew and it would be not out of place to title it as “Curfew Sarkar.” He appealed the people of Jammu region especially youth to maintain peace and communal harmony.
MLA Yashpal Kundal demanded immediate dismissal of the government and imposition of President’s rule in the state so that faith of the people in the rule of law is restored.
Prominent among those arrested were S. Daljit Singh, Anita Thakur, Randhir Singh, Sarpanch Surjit Singh, Sarpanch Khajoor Singh, Abhinav Anand, Vikas Sambyal, Rajesh Padgotra, Ashok Kumar, Ghulam Mohammad, Daulat Raj, Kaka Ram, Anil Rakwal and others.
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