Youth Congress leader briefly detained in Jammu

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress president Uday Chib was briefly detained here on Thursday ahead of a scheduled demonstration against police action on students of Jamia Millia Islamia during recent protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, officials said.

A group of Youth Congress activists, however, staged a protest outside the Press Club followed by another protest by National Students' Union of India (NSUI) members outside the Jammu university to express solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University, the officials said.

Soon after a group of Youth Congress activists assembled outside the Press Club and started to march towards the main road amid anti-BJP slogans, a strong contingent of police stopped and pushed them back.

"We have planned to stage a protest against the police atrocities on the students of Jamia Millia but our leader Uday Chib was taken away from his home this morning and lodged at Janipur police station," General Secretary Ricky Dalotra



told reporters.

He accused the BJP government of snatching the democratic right of people to protest and said, "We will intensify our agitation if our leader was not released forthwith."

"The BJP is using police to suppress the voice of the people of the country," he said, adding that "the discriminatory law is not acceptable to the people of the country and it should be revoked immediately".

Later, a group of students affiliated with the NSUI also staged a protest outside Jammu university against the alleged atrocities on the students in different parts of the country.

The protesters raised slogans against the BJP and demanded immediate release of the Youth Congress leader before dispersing peacefully.

A police official at Janipur police station confirmed the detention of the Youth Congress leader in the morning.

"He was taken into preventive custody in the morning and later released," the official said on the condition of anonymity.