JKPYC holds anti-govt rally, says border residents being made sitting ducks

Jammu: Hundreds of activists of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Youth Congress (JKPYC) today took out a massive rally here accusing the Centre of making border residents "sitting ducks" in Pakistan firing.

Led by JKPYC President Pranav Shagotra, the activists took to streets and held massive demonstrations against BJP led NDA regime for what they said was "betraying" border inhabitants.
Shouting slogans against Central government and BJP, they alleged border inhabitants were being made sitting ducks for petty politics.

Youth Congress activists disrupted vehicular movement at Tawi bridge for some time as a mark of protest against "inhuman" approach of Union Government towards border dwellers. "BJP and its government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the border residents sitting ducks for target practice for Pakistan in its shelling and firing this year", Shagotra told reporters here.

He said over 40 people have been killed and over 130 people injured in the largest number of the ceasefire violations this year. The killing of civilians on borders, be it International Border (IB) or Line of Control (LOC), has become a routine affair, "but those at the helm of the affairs are doing dirty politics on human lives", he said.

Charging NDA Government at the Centre with being "least concerned" over lives and property of the people of Jammu region, he said the coalition government in J&K has already left people of Jammu region at the mercy of Pakistan and other anti-national elements.

He said during the last four years killings on the borders have increased manifold, With a hope that the "self-proclaimed nationalist" BJP would solve their problems once for all, border residents had voted in favour of the Saffron Party in 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but all their hopes were dashed now, Shagotra charged.

He demanded martyrs status for those getting killed in the border while undertaking to farm with risk to their lives and compensation at par with persons killed and injured due to militancy.

Besides seeking bulletproof critical care ambulances in the vulnerable areas, Shagotra said the Public Health Centre, Arnia, needed an upgrade with sufficient stock of medicines. The Youth Congress workers also demanded allotment of alternative land at safer places, construction of community and individual bunkers, providing bulletproof vehicles to evacuate villagers at the time of firing, reservation to IB dwellers at par with residents of LOC and special recruitment drive for the unemployed youth of border areas.