Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 6: Expressing their resentment, lawyers today took out candle march this evening and condemned the attitude of authorities for not suspending the erring police officers responsible for beating and illegally detaining Advocate Harshvardhan Gupta.
Lawyers assembled at Maheshpura Chowk under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) led by its president MK Bhardwaj and took out a candle march. The candle march started from Maheshpura Chowk, which passed through various areas including Bakshi Nagar, Canal Road and Krishna Nagar.
The protesting lawyers were demanding suspension of the erring police officials and an independent, impartial and fair inquiry into the matter.
Earlier, in the morning JKHCBA held a protest dharna in District Courts Complex, in which hundreds of lawyers took part.
The lawyers abstained from work in the Jammu wing of Jammu and Kashmir High Court and District Court Complex Janipur for the 20th consecutive day.
Addressing the gathering, the speakers opined for initiating legal action through a team of senior Lawyers, against those who are indulging in false propaganda through media and to file criminal complaints against those who are openly writing defamatory material against the Association and its members and contemptuous language against the judiciary.
MK Bhardwaj, president, JKHCBA condemned the adamant attitude of the police authorities for not suspending the erring officials.
Reacting to certain news items that yesterday’s Bandh was forcibly enforced by the members of the Association, Bhardwaj refuted such false reporting and stated that it was peaceful and general public voluntarily participated in the same which started as an agitation and has now become a mass movement against the high handedness and atrocities meted out to the citizens by the police while dealing with them.
Reiterating demands, Bhardwaj demanded free and fair inquiry in the matter and suspension of the police officials. “Any ex-parte inquiry held by the police is not acceptable at all”, he added.
Meanwhile, Reasi Bar Association held protest against J&K Police at Main Chowk of Reasi and closed the road for about one hour resulting into long traffic snarls.
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