Srinagar, Over fifty trade union leaders and activists were detained in Srinagar, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as they gathered to protest in support of the ongoing farmer agitations in India. The detentions came ahead of a planned demonstration aligned with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s nationwide strike call, which seeks to pressure the Modi government into fulfilling the demands of Indian farmers, including the provision of a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the detained individuals were preparing to assemble near Pratap Park on Residency Road when they were taken into custody by the police and transported to the Kothibagh police station. The actions of the police aimed to prevent the protest, which was intended to express solidarity with the farmers’ cause in India.
The Jammu Kashmir Apple Farmers’ Federation reported that its members and other trade union activists were forcibly stopped by the police despite the peaceful nature of their planned protest. Among those detained was Zahoor Ahmad Rather, President of the Jammu Kashmir Apple Farmers Federation, highlighting the broad sweep of the police crackdown on the protest.
Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), strongly criticized the police’s actions, describing the force used against peaceful demonstrators as a direct attack on democratic principles and fundamental rights. Tarigami’s statement, shared on social media platform X, underscored the detention of several prominent figures, including Mohammad Afzal, chairman of the Kulgam District Development Council, and other key members of the Apple Farmers’ Federation.
This incident reflects the ongoing tensions in the region and the authorities’ stringent measures against gatherings and protests, even those conducted in a peaceful manner. The detentions in Srinagar underscore the broader challenges faced by those in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and across India who seek to voice their demands and support for the farming community’s rights and welfare.