Cong:Govt adopting harsh measures to suppress stir

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 1

Accusing the administration of adopting oppressive means to suppress the ongoing agitation for setting up full-fledged AIIMS at Jammu, the Congress today cautioned that abuse of force would further deteriorate already tense situation in the region.

The Congress accused the police of resorting to unprovoked lathi-charge in different areas of the city on the people protesting peacefully in support of AIIMS.

Addressing a press conference here this evening, senior vice-president of the Pradesh Congress Committee Sham Lal Sharma condemned the alleged atrocities being committed by the police on people who had been protesting peacefully in different areas. “On the one hand, policemen have been using brutal force to stifle voice of the people, while on the other hand, the BJP workers are attacking members of the civil society who have been demanding AIIMS for Jammu,” Sharma said, while narrating the incident when BJP workers had allegedly thrown stones and attacked members of the Jammu Bar Association and civil society members who were staging protest at the Kacchi Chowni area of the city in support of their demand on Friday.

“Today on the directions of their political masters, policemen fired teargas shells and resorted to unprovoked lathi-charge on members of the AIIMS Coordination Committee who were protesting peacefully,” he said, alleging that chairman of the AIIMS Coordination Committee and president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Abhinav Sharma had been seriously injured in the excessive force used by the police.

“We will not remain a mute spectator. The Congress will take on arrogant BJP workers directly and will oppose atrocities on members of the civil society,” Sharma said, regretting that the PDP-BJP government had failed to take action against those who were waving Pakistani and ISIS flags, but atrocities were committed on those who were protesting for just and genuine demands.

“The PDP-BJP government is helplessly looking at the increasing size of Pakistan and ISIS flags and policemen are shamelessly showing their valour on nationalist people of the Jammu region, who are fighting against injustice and discrimination,” he said. He regretted that BJP ministers had given free hand to the administration to deal with agitation with an iron hand.

Former minister Raman Bhalla and chief spokesman for the JKPCC Ravinder Sharma were also present in the press conference.