Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 28: Activists of Youth Congress staged demonstration at Tawi bridge here in protest against the security for the Sarpanchs and Panchs in Kashmir valley and other parts of the State.
IYC secretary Chetan Partap Singh Chouhan was leading the protest while PYC president Shah Nawaz Choudhary, senior vice president Pranav Shagotra, Manjit Singh Jat general secretary and PYC leaders Satish Sharma, Abid Kashmiri and others were also accompanying.
The PYC workers assembled near Press Club and then moved towards Tawi bridge and held demonstration against the killing of Panchayat members in Kashmir and demanded security for them. They also condemned the statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and said that he was responsible for the killings. They demanded security for the Panchayat members.
They tried to stage dharna and disrupt movement of traffic but police intercepted and cane-charged the activists to clear the road. Some PYC activists were also arrested.
Later, talking to reporters, the PYC president said that Chief Minister should either provide full powers to Panchayats or he should resign. He alleged that for the killings of Sarpanchs, only CM was responsible.
Mr Chouhan and Mr Shagotra also spoke on the occasion and demanded that Government must go for 73rd and 74th amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act. They said AICC leader Rahul Gandhi was keen on the issue.