Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Omar Abdullah Flags Unequal Police Treatment of Srinagar Protests
Two political parties held separate protests in Srinagar on the same day.
The National Conference wanted to protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party office.
The Bharatiya Janata Party wanted to march toward the Civil Secretariat.
Omar Abdullah said police treated the two groups very differently.
He said National Conference workers were dragged and hurt, while the Bharatiya Janata Party was given more room to protest.
Reports also said police used a mild lathicharge when Bharatiya Janata Party protesters tried to remove barricades.
Mehbooba Mufti gave a different criticism, saying both parties were allowed to protest while her People’s Democratic Party remained restricted.
The disagreement concerns whether authorities treated political parties fairly.
National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party supporters held separate protests in Srinagar on Wednesday.
Omar Abdullah said police facilitated the Bharatiya Janata Party protest but used disproportionate force against National Conference demonstrators.
National Conference leaders alleged that workers and legislators were dragged, heckled and injured, with some requiring hospital treatment.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was allowed to assemble near Srinagar’s clock tower, though police stopped protesters from marching to the Civil Secretariat.
Mehbooba Mufti said authorities facilitated both protests while continuing to restrict the People’s Democratic Party from holding peaceful demonstrations.
- Who
- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the National Conference, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti.
- What
- Separate National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party protests in Srinagar led to allegations of unequal police treatment.
- When
- Wednesday, during protests held earlier that day.
- Where
- Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir; the demonstrations involved the BJP headquarters, the city centre and the Civil Secretariat.
- Why
- The National Conference protested the alleged failure to restore statehood, while the Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the Omar Abdullah government’s delivery of electoral promises; leaders also disputed whether police handled the protests fairly.
Omar Abdullah’s account
Police-treatment criticism and competing account
Relative treatment of protests
Omar Abdullah’s account
Abdullah said the BJP protest was facilitated and escorted, while the National Conference demonstration was brutally repressed and its workers were injured.
Police-treatment criticism and competing account
The report said police used force against protesters from both parties, including a mild lathicharge against BJP protesters, while the BJP was allowed to assemble but not march to the Civil Secretariat.
Access to protest locations
Omar Abdullah’s account
Abdullah said authorities allow protests targeting his government but prevent demonstrations outside the BJP office.
Police-treatment criticism and competing account
Police stopped both groups from reaching their intended destinations: the NC was blocked from the BJP headquarters and the BJP was blocked from the Civil Secretariat.
Broader political restrictions
Omar Abdullah’s account
Abdullah described the differing treatment as evidence of a wider problem with political dissent in Jammu and Kashmir.
Police-treatment criticism and competing account
Mehbooba Mufti said both the BJP and NC were facilitated, but the PDP continued to face restrictions on peaceful public-issue protests.
- National Conference demand
- The National Conference protested what it said was the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre’s failure to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Bharatiya Janata Party criticism
- The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that the Omar Abdullah government had not fulfilled electoral promises, including free 200 units of power per household.
- National Conference protest
- National Conference workers marched from the party headquarters near Zero Bridge but were stopped from proceeding toward the BJP headquarters in Jawahar Nagar.
- Bharatiya Janata Party protest
- About 100 BJP protesters were allowed to assemble near Srinagar’s clock tower but were prevented from marching to the Civil Secretariat.
- Reported injuries
- Omar Abdullah said National Conference workers and legislators were dragged and injured, with some seeking hospital treatment.
- Mehbooba Mufti’s criticism
- Mufti said authorities facilitated both the BJP and NC protests while preventing the PDP from leaving its office for peaceful demonstrations.
- Administrative context
- The articles state that law and order and police administration in Jammu and Kashmir fall under the Lieutenant Governor’s jurisdiction.
