Similar protests held in other district headquarters
By Majid Nabi
SRINAGAR- Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) on Friday held sit-in protest in Srinagar against the government’s ongoing eviction drive to ‘reclaim’ state land from the encroachers.
Carrying placards in their hands which read “stop bulldozing and stop demolishing houses of poor”; dozens of AP activists assembled at Srinagar’s Press Enclave and later sat on a dharna to protest governments proposed plan to render poor masses homeless in the UT.
Similar demonstrations were also held in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district and Gole Market in Gandhi Nagar Jammu by Apni Party activists.
It is pertinent to mention that Altaf Bukahri led Apni Party had announced sit-in protests at all district headquarters in J&K to seek immediate end to what was alleged ‘persecution’ of poor masses in the valley in the name of anti-encroachment drive.
AP leaders asked the administration to continue its drive against influential having allegedly encroached huge tracts of state land in Jammu and Kashmir. They however sought immediate end to the demolition drive against the poor who might have erected residential structure on Kahcharai or state land.
“We are not against reclamation of illegally occupied state land from bigwigs; we in fact support the government in its endeavor to retrieve the same for public good, however, we will not let poor to be bulldozed at any cost. We urge the Lieutenant Governor to adopt your assurances on the ground that poor masses will not be touched,” a protesting AP leader told media at Press Enclave.
He also appealed to the LG to impress upon the officials to avoid targeting poor masses during the drive.
In Bandipora district in north Kashmir, sit-in protest was led by the party senior leader and former minister, Usman Majeed. Dozens of AP activists participated in dharna against the government.
“How could we remain silent on government’s action against the poor, if the drive is meant to spare influential and target poor masses only, than we are sorry, we will not allow this to happen come what may,” said Usman Majeed while addressing the protesters in Bandipora.
Apni Party provincial president Jammu, Manjeet Singh asked the government to halt the ongoing demolition drive without any delay to avoid confrontation. He said the administrations pick and choose policy might trigger protests across J&K.
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