Jammu and Kashmir Police today detained independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid and his supporters for attempting to lay siege of the Civil Secretariat here on the first day of reopening of 'Darbar move' offices.
Rashid, who represents Langate constituency of north Kashmir in the State Assembly, along with his supporters tried to move towards the Civil Secretariat where a large contingent of police and paramilitary forces stopped them near Exhibition Grounds and asked them to disperse, official sources said.
The legislator and his supporters insisted on going ahead with the protest, following which police used batons to disperse them, they said, adding Rashid and dozens of his supporters were taken into preventive custody.
Rashid had earlier, launched a scathing attack on the state government for its alleged failure to bring the culprits behind the spurious drug scam to justice and threatened to lay siege of the Civil Secretariat, not allowing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his colleagues to enter.
"Government has miserably failed to act against the culprits behind the spurious drug racket as no one has been arrested in the case so far. If there is no headway in the case, I along with my supporters will lay a siege of the civil secretariat on the opening day and will not allow chief minister and his colleagues to attend their offices," Rashid had said.
The Civil Secretariat and other offices re-opened today after closing in winter capital Jammu on April 26 as per the annual 'Darbar move' - a traditional practice under which the state government functions six months each in Jammu and Srinagar.
