Officials and eyewitnesses said protesters were gathering at Lal Chowk, Srinagar, to support the demand of guaranteed minimum support price for crops
A section of Kashmir-based farmers and trade union leaders who had gathered at the Lal Chowk to lend their support to the Bharat Bandh call were detained by police ahead of their planned protest.
Officials and eyewitnesses said protesters were gathering in the city centre to support the demand of guaranteed minimum support price for crops, which has resulted in widespread protests in the region of Punjab and Haryana, when police detained many near Pratap Park and took them to Kothibagh police station.
East-city superintendent of police Mubashir Hussain said they detained 10-15 persons briefly who were attempting to hold a protest in the city centre. “It was preventive detention and they were allowed to go after some time,” he said.
“We did not let them protest as they had no permission from the district magistrate. For any protest they should have sought permission beforehand,” he said.
Jammu Kashmir Apple Farmers’ Federation, in a statement quoted by local media, said farmers and trade union members were stopped despite the protests being peaceful.
The statement said the police used force and detained many union leaders including Jammu Kashmir Apple Farmers Federation’s President Zahoor Ahmad Rather.
CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami condemned the action by police on the protesters. “Condemning in no uncertain terms the use of forces against the peaceful protest of Apple Farmers’ Federation of India, scheme workers and CITU leaders organised in response to Grameen Bharat Bandh,” Tarigmai said on X.
He said scores of leaders including district development council chairman Mohammad Afzal, president AFF Zahoor Ahmad Rather, CITU leader Ab Rashid Pandit and Javed Ahmad were “unjustly arrested after being bundled into police vehicles”.
“The use of brute force against peaceful protesters is an affront to democracy and a violation of fundamental rights,” he said.
