Marking an unprecedented shift in regional politics, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accompanied by dozens of MLAs and cabinet ministers, arrived at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to lead a high-profile demonstration demanding the immediate restoration of statehood to J&K. This is the first time a serving Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has actively taken to the streets to protest this grievance.
Joining the front lines of the march was his father and National Conference (NC) President, Farooq Abdullah. Leaning on a walking stick, the 89-year-old veteran leader stood resolutely alongside the demonstrators throughout the progression. Omar Abdullah took a sharp jab at political rivals who opted out of the rally, pointing to his father’s active presence. “Here is a 90-year-old man leading from the front for J&K’s rights and dignity while some others sit at home posting tweets,” he stated.
Clashes, Blockades, and an Auto-Rickshaw Ride
The demonstration unfolded on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session amid tight security, heavy chaos, and tear gas shelling across central Delhi. Demanding accountability for the Union government’s 2019 decision to revoke J&K’s special status under Article 370 and downscale it into two Union Territories, protesters carried placards reading, “Restore rights and dignity of the people of J&K”.
The J&K leadership alleged that security forces aggressively attempted to suppress their movement. Thwarted by police blockades from entering Jantar Mantar directly, NC leaders were forced to shift part of their demonstration to Ashoka Road and the Constitution Club.
“We were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar and stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours, but we were not silenced,” Omar Abdullah later posted on X. “This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity, and everything that was taken away from us.”
Amid the security clampdown and mounting crowds, Abdullah—a Z-plus protectee—danced around police cordons by abandoning his official vehicle and hailing a local auto-rickshaw alongside his sons, Zamir and Zaheer, to navigate back to Prithviraj Road. Reflecting on the close call, he noted that his walk from Jantar Mantar was on the verge of blending into a separate mass procession nearby, prompting them to grab the first available mode of transport to safely diffuse the situation.
