Harsh Dev, Kundal detained by Kathua Police en-route Lakhanpur

Kathua | 4 Aug 2020

Kathua Police today restrained the NPP leaders and former Ministers, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh and Mr. Yash Paul Kundal from proceeding to Lakhanpur where the Action Committee was holding a dharna against installation of Toll Plaza and assault on a local youth yesterday by the goons of the Toll Plaza contractor. The NPP leaders who were headed towards Lakhanpur Plaza along with their party workers and supporters were stopped by the Police about 1 kilometer short of Lakhanpur Toll and disallowed from proceeding further. They were detained for several hours by the Police and let off later only to be sent back to Jammu.
The NPP leaders told the Kathua media that the Panthers Party was strongly opposed to the installation of multiple Toll Plazas in Jammu region and would continue to agitate for their removal against all odds.
Harsh Dev said that the NPP team was going to Lakhanpur to express its solidarity with the All Parties Toll Plaza Action Committee which was spearheading the agitation for disbanding the said Toll Plaza. He said that restraining the NPP leaders was unconstitutional and undemocratic act of the present regime who were hell-bent to suppress all critical voices. He said that disallowing peaceful protests was an assault on the Fight to Freedom of speech and expression guaranteed to all citizens of the country. The way the present regime was behaving was in total contrast with the fundamental liberties guaranteed to the people of this great nation. He said that extortion of people in the name of multiple Toll Plazas was totally unacceptable and would be opposed tooth and nail.
Yash Paul Kundal strongly condemned the assault on the local youth by goonda elements at Lakhanpur Toll Plaza. He said that BJP had penned down its own obituary by betraying the collective sentiment of Dogras.
Meanwhile, all district committees of JKNPP in Jammu and Kashmir have been advised to hold a massive/peaceful protest on August 5, 2020, the day the draconian government deprived one of the oldest states in the Union of its statehood, a press release by the party said.
�The Panthers Party district, provincial and state leadership has been advised to demand restoration of statehood for J&K which was deprived of the statehood one year back by the Govt. of India in total defiance of the history and the cultural and social violation which has been rejected by the people of all districts in J&K�. Prof.Bhim Singh, Chief Patron of J&K National Panthers Party has made the special and forceful appeal to the district and provincial leadership to mark this day as a protest day and demand immediate restoration of statehood and the fundamental rights guaranteed to every citizen of India including in J&K all fundamental rights.