YRS intensifies agitation for holiday on Sept 23; holds protests in Jammu, Samba, Kathua

YRS members staging protest at Talab Tillo, Jammu on Friday. — Excelsior/Rakesh
YRS members staging protest at Talab Tillo, Jammu on Friday. — Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 26: Intensifying their agitation against stubborn attitude of the J&K administration for not declaring holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh on September 23, activists of Yuva Rajput Sabha held protest in various parts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
A large number of YRS activists assembled this morning at Talab Tillo and staged a protest demonstration. They raised slogans against the LG administration for delay in taking any decision on this sensitive issue. Speaking on the occasion, a senior YRS member said that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had also formed a four-member committee in January this year to look into their long-standing demand but no decision was taken by the Committee till date.
Meanwhile, activists of Yuva Rajput Sabha (YRS) also continued their hunger strike in front of the statue of Maharaja Hari Singh near main Tawi Bridge. The members who sat on hunger strike today were Rajan Singh Happy (president YRS), Surinder Singh Gilli (ex-president), Mandeep Singh (senior vice-president), Balbir singh (senior member) and Sanjay Singh (district president, Samba).
A protest demonstration by YRS members was also held in Akhnoor town of Jammu to press for their demand for declaring a holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of J&K. Holding placards in their hands, they raised slogans in support of their demands.
Similar protest were held in Samba and Kathua towns on Jammu-Pathankot National Highway, where the traffic were blocked by the agitating YRS members for a brief period to register their protest against the LG administration for not declaring holiday on September 23. The protest in Kathua was led by district president Nagendra Singh.
The protesting YRS members said that they are fully prepared to fight till their last breath to compel the Government to announce a holiday on September 23 on the birth anniversary of the Maharaja Hari Singh, which is approaching soon. They warned the LG administration for ignoring their demands and instead choking their voices by imposing Section 144.