Article 370 abrogation: Police thwart National Conference, Congress protest marches

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on 5 August, Tuesday, stopped a protest march by the ruling National Conference (NC) in Srinagar against the Centre's August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 and divide the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

Led by NC Kashmir president Showkat Ahmad Mir, MLAs and senior leaders assembled at the party headquarters Nawa-i-Subah here and raised slogans against the Centre's decision taken on 5 August 2019, and called for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Raising slogans like "August 5, 2019, decisions are not acceptable", "Black laws are not acceptable" and "Restore Articles 370 and 35A", the protesters tried to march towards the Lal Chowk city centre — but were not allowed to step out of the party office complex by police, who shut the gates of Nawa-i-Subah.

NC state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said police did not allow the party leaders to move out and even "pushed some leaders".

"Our MLA Salman Sagar was injured in the melee. He suffered foot injuries," Dar said.

He said the NC activists wanted to march towards the historic clock tower at Lal Chowk to register their protest against the Centre's August 2019 decisions.

Other political parties and leadership thereof also spoke up for reinstatement of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, among them D. Raja of the CPI, who noted in a social media post that the 'Delhi se doori (distance from Delhi)' remains unaddressed 6 years later.

The Congress’ state wing, also poised to take out a protest march and sit-in dharna, was likewise held back by police presence at the party office gates.

The abrogation of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir has been a first in Indian history, where it is more often seen that a union territory is promoted to a state.

With PTI inputs