Jan. 20: The Jammu and Kashmir government will not allow hoisting of the tricolour by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists at the historic Lal Chowk here on Republic Day.
This was decided at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdullah, in Jammu on Thursday. A statement said the government had directed the civil and police authorities to ensure that law and order was not disturbed ahead of Republic Day and “it was decided that no programme which had the potential of vitiating the peaceful atmosphere in the state will be allowed.”
The meeting was convened by Mr Abdullah after his brief New Delhi visit recently, where he discussed the matter with the Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, and the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi.
The government plans to seal Srinagar’s Lal Chowk ahead of January 26, when the pro-independence JKLF has called for a Lal Chowk chalo march. Key separatist leaders are likely to be taken into preventive custody.
Back in Jammu, the state’s winter capital, Mr Abdullah reviewed the situation with senior Cabinet colleagues belonging to both the National Conference and the Congress. “He directed that while the Republic Day should be celebrated with full fervour and enthusiasm, elements bent upon disturbing law and order should be dealt with sternly and directions to this effect should be passed on to district authorities as well,” an official spokesperson said.
Official sources said the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra, which began from Kolkata last week, was expected to reach Srinagar on January 26. Sangh Parivar activists led by the BJYM president, Mr Anurag Thakur, also plan to hoist the tricolour at Lakhanpur on the state’s border with Punjab. In New Delhi, the BJP senior leader, Mr L.K. Advani, said the flag-hoisting was in not to challenge the state government but the separatists.