Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday stated that the lathi charge on protesting daily-wage employees of the Jal Shakti department was unwarranted. However, he clarified that he does not have control over the police.
As the Assembly convened, opposition members raised concerns over large-scale protests by daily wagers demanding pending wages and job regularisation. They also criticised the police action against them. The discussion soon turned heated, with BJP and National Conference members engaging in a verbal spat. BJP legislators ultimately staged a walkout in protest.
Addressing the House, Abdullah responded to BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa’s questions, urging him to wait for an answer. “Regarding the way police treated the protesters, I would like to remind Randhawa Sahab, who is making noise about this issue, that unfortunately, neither you nor I control the police,” he said.
The Chief Minister suggested that instead of disrupting Assembly proceedings, the opposition should have taken up the matter with the Lieutenant Governor, who holds actual control over the police. “It would have been more effective to raise the issue there and ask why the protesters were subjected to force,” he added.
Abdullah clarified that the police action was not carried out on government orders and should not have happened. He reiterated that the protesting workers are part of the system and their concerns are valid. “This is not just a financial issue; it is a humanitarian one. They deserved to be treated with sensitivity and compassion,” he stated.
He expressed hope that the concerns voiced in the Assembly had reached the police and assured that similar incidents would not occur in the future. “Next time, when these people fight for their rights, batons will not be used against them,” he said.
