Jammu: Youth Congress workers in Jammu on Wednesday held a protest march against the state government following which 60 activists were taken into preventive custody by the police.
The march to Kashmir, foiled by the police, was to be undertaken to hoist the Tricolour and protest against the "pro-Pakistan" and "anti-India" incidents during the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed rule.
Indian Youth Congress chief Amrinder Singh Brar was among those taken into preventive custody.
Brar demanded that a case be registered against the chief minister for his alleged failure to rein in on separatists who raised Pakistani flags and pro-Pakistan slogans in Kashmir.
Led by Brar and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Gulam Ahmed Mir, over 200 to 300 activists and leaders of Youth Congress left for Kashmir from Jammu city.
As they reached Hari Nivas crossing here, heavy police contingent led by several senior officers put barricades and prevented them from moving to Srinagar in view of traffic restriction on J-K Highway.
However, scores of activists, including Raja, along with state Youth Congress chief Pranav Shagotra, president of South Kashmir Parliamentary constituency Naseer Mir, sat on a dharna amid sloganeering against the BJP-PDP government as Raja waved the national flag.
As the request of SP South Shiv Kumar Choudhan and SDPO City Prabeet Singh to the leadership to call-off the yatra failed, police made preventive arrests and Raja, Pranav, Mir along with 60 leaders and activists were taken into preventive custody.
"We cannot allow them to move towards Kashmir in view of the traffic restriction of J-K highway. We have taken them into preventive custody," Singh told PTI.
While talking to reporters as he was being taken to Police lines, Raja alleged, "BJP-PDP government did not allow us to march to Kashmir. They used police to foil our yatra to Kashmir to hoist the tricolour there to hold protests against the Mufti government."
"If an action is taken against the common man, why not against Sayeed. Those who will deliver pro-Pakistan statements --whether it is Amrinder Singh or Mufti Sayeed, action should be taken against them," he said.
Meanwhile, the Pradesh Youth Congress strongly condemned the detention of "hundreds" of youths to foil 'Yuva Sankalp Yatra' to Srinagar from Jammu.
"We condemn the arrest of the Youth Congress workers and leaders by the police," the Youth Congress said.
