Police foil PDP protest over water crisis in Srinagar, several leaders detained

Srinagar, July 30: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday foiled a protest march by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Srinagar, detaining several party workers and leaders who were attempting to stage a demonstration against what they termed as “administrative failure and rising public grievances.”

The PDP leaders and workers had gathered near the party headquarters to march towards Lal Chowk but were stopped by a heavy contingent of police deployed in the area. As the protesters raised slogans, security forces swung into action and took several of them into preventive custody.
Those who were detained included, among others, Mohd Khursheed Alam, Abdul Haq Khan, Zahoor Mir , Arif Laigroo, Iqbal Tramboo, Yaseen Bhat and Noor Mohammad.

Senior PDP leaders accused the administration of stifling democratic rights and said the protest was aimed at highlighting issues such as erratic power and water supply, unemployment, and alleged bureaucratic apathy.

“We intended to hold a protest. There is no drinking water, electricity bills are getting costlier by the day and Kashmiri youth are being held in jails outside. We wanted to demand their return. Take a look at the autocratic government of Omar Abdullah and LG. We are not even allowed to hold a protest,” said Ghulam Nabi Lone (Hanjura).