implores administration to address people’s complaints
On August 23, in Srinagar, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, denounced the police’s treatment of young protesters who were calling for the closure of the Sarore toll plaza on the Jammu-Pathankot Highway in the Samba area.
Dr Farooq expressed worry about the use of excessive force on young protesters, saying, “The youngsters were raising their voices against the toll collecting at Lakhanpur, a practise that stands in obvious defiance of both existing norms and the Union Government’s guarantees. Taxing people while the roads are a complete mess and the destroyed bridge is posing enormous hardships is not justified. The protesters were not reached out to; instead, they were beaten and taken into custody. The administration’s stance and the actions of the police are both strongly condemned. I beg the authorities to free the youngsters right now and to deal with their issues in a compassionate manner.
Dr. Farooq has also sought the immediate removal of the unlawful Sarore toll plaza as well as the recently implemented Property Tax. He said that the existence of such a toll plaza not only places an excessive financial burden on the people, but also shows that the Lieutenant Governor government has failed to handle important concerns in the area.
