Locals begin hunger strike in Jammu
Aman Zutshi
Jammu: Rallying under the banner of ‘Dogra Ekta Zindabad’, residents of Samba, and other areas of Jammu continued their hunger strike on Saturday to press for their demand for the release of Yuva Rajput members, who were arrested by Kathua police for agitating against illicit Sarore Toll plaza recently.
Protesting against the local government and demanding closure of Sarore Toll plaza, deinstallation of pre-paid meters and property tax, agitating residents comprising of locals, opposition parties, social organisations began a sit-in indefinite chain hunger strike under flyover at chowk in Samba.
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Talking to the media, one of the protestors said, “We welcome that people in authorities are coming to take our cognisance.
“DC, ADC, DDC, SSP cannot fulfill our demands as it is not in their hands but on mental level they’re all with the people of Jammu.
“They’re just doing their duties. We don’t want medical attention as per now but one of our companion who has served in army and in whose hand a grenade was exploded was feeling little low, but he is undeterred and has told us that he will die but he will not go from here.
“The people of Jammu should come here to help us as we have to struggle unitedly keeping aside our class, caste for our issues”.
“We will die but we won’t break our hunger strike against the atrocities of local and central regime.
“Our children, elders, women, youth are on roads agitating and they’re all with us. But one thing is really troubling is the silence of our elected representatives.
“Our elected representatives should resign from their respective parties and should join us. Why they’re not coming here.
“Their politics and issues all revolve around us and they should come here to support us”, another protestor said.
“We have only one demand to stop toll plaza and release our members as they are innocent. We don’t know what the police is doing.
“The DC Jammu is powerless to do anything and he works on the behest of central govt. We will fight for our cause till our last breathe. The authorities are trying to remove us from here but we will sit here no matter what”, one of the dissenters alleged.
“We want our comrades to be released, removal of Sarore Toll plaza and withdrawal of police charges against Yuva Rajput Sabha”, demanded a man who came with an elderly paralysed patient on a wheel-chair from Rajouri.
“The administration want that the protestors health to remain okay as the authorities are with them.
“We want the issues of the public be solved amicably without disturbing law and order. We are conducting their medical check up so that they remain well and administration is trying to solve their matters”, Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR) Samba told media.
“We are giving minutely details to the higher authorities and soon they will do something in this issue as per law.
“The govt is for the masses and we’re timely reporting the situation to them and they will soon address public outcry as per law of the land”, she added.
