Srinagar : Dozens of handicapped people staged a protest in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital on the World Disabled Day on Saturday, observing it as a black day, to press for the implementation of their demands by the state government.

"The state government has not fulfilled our demands," said the local handicapped persons` association general secretary Abdul Rashid.

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"We met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on May 26 and he promised to fulfil our genuine demands but nothing has happened so far," he added. The demands include introduction of Braille education system from primary to university level in the state, reservations in government jobs, enhancement of monthly pension, concessions in payments of revenue to the government, setting up of a handicapped advisory board, and providing prosthesis aid and artificial limbs.

"We also demand free medical treatment for the handicapped people in all the government-run hospitals in the state," said Ghulam Muhammad Lone, who is physically challenged. The protestors displayed placards to highlight their plight and the apathy shown by the society towards them.

Later, they conducted a peaceful march to the residence of the chief minister here but police took some of them into preventive custody before they could reach it. "They have been restrained from breaching Section 144 of the criminal procedure code according to which assembly of five or more people is deemed as illegal. The detained people have, however, been released now," a police officer said. IANS