BJP, NC to hold rival protests in Srinagar; security tightened

Security was tightened in Srinagar on Wednesday as the BJP and ruling National Conference prepared to hold rival protests, with the BJP planning to gherao the Civil Secretariat and the NC announcing a counter protest outside the BJP office.

Police and security forces were deployed in large numbers at Lal Chowk and Jawahar Nagar to maintain law and order, officials said.

Roads leading to the BJP office in Jawahar Nagar were sealed to prevent any large gathering, while all entry points to Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk were closed to vehicles.

The BJP has asked its workers to assemble at Ghanta Ghar before marching towards the Civil Secretariat across the Budshah Bridge over the Jhelum.

The National Conference, meanwhile, has asked its workers to gather outside the Gindun Sports Complex in Rajbagh before marching towards the BJP office.

The two parties are protesting over different issues.

The BJP, the principal opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, is targeting the Omar Abdullah government over what it calls a failure to fulfil commitments made during the 2024 Assembly election campaign.

A BJP spokesperson said the party would raise concerns over alleged backdoor appointments, job outsourcing, unemployment, corruption and unfulfilled commitments outside the Civil Secretariat.

“The youth of J-K are asking questions which the NC government must answer,” the spokesperson said, adding that young people deserved jobs and transparency in appointments.

The National Conference, on the other hand, plans to gherao BJP offices in Jammu and Srinagar over the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

The NC has demanded accountability from the Union government over assurances made in Parliament and before the Supreme Court regarding the restoration of statehood.

The party’s protest announcement came in response to the BJP’s Secretariat gherao plan. The BJP had originally planned the protest for July 20 but postponed it after the NC held a peaceful sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi seeking restoration of statehood.

Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370.

In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Centre’s decision and said statehood should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.