Police cane charges BJP rally in Jammu, MLAs among 150 held

Police today foiled the BJP's 'gherao' of J-K Assembly by resorting to cane charge amid clashes and preventive arrests of over 150 party workers including MLAs.
Led by the State BJP Chief Jugal Kishore, over 2000 party members including MLAs took out a 'Assembly gherao' march, protesting against the alleged failure of NC-led government on the security front.
They were carrying placards and banners highlighting the alleged failure of Omar Abdullah government on all the fronts, particularly security front.
The BJP activists broke two police's barricades at Press club and Indra chowk amid clashes with police and marched to the Assembly shouting anti-government slogans.

However, large number of Policemen led by SP city S Johar intercepted the advancing march at Shalimar chowk-Gulab Bhawa -- barely 50 meters away from the Assembly, where government has imposed Section 144 of CrPc.
Here pitched battles were fought between BJP activists and Policemen, which resorted to cane charge to disperse the rally.

The BJP activists were not allowed to reach the Assembly and their march was foiled by police.
Over 150 activists including BJP State Chief and MLA Jugal Kishore, Leader of BJP Legislative Party Ashok Khajuria, BJP National Executive member and Chief Spokesperson Jitender Singh, MLAs -- Sham Choudhary, Sukhnandan were taken into preventive custody and whisked away in three buses to Police lines.

Singh claimed that 15 activists were injured in the baton charge by the police. However, refused to give details about the injured.
"We condemn the police cane charge on our activists --15 of them were injured -- there were peaceful protests but government used force on us", BJP State Chief Jugal Kishore told reporters here.
"Our march and ghero of Assembly was aimed to protest Omar Government's total failure on all fronts particularly security front--It was also against the demand of revocation of AFSPA raised by Omar", he said.
He said,"This march was also against the disarming of the CRPF personnel and police, under new security directive by the state government and making them soft target of terrorists and glorification of terrorists like Afzal Guru in the state Assembly by Opposition PDP and ruling NC".

On one side government government is demanding revoking of AFSPA and on the other side they have disarmed Police men and CRPF and made them sitting ducks in target of militants, he said, alleging that 2 unarmed policemen and 5 CRPF men have been killed by militants after this directive.
Yesterday militants had stormed a CRPF camp adjoining a school in the heart of Srinagar in Bemina area killing five jawans and injuring at least seven others.