Jammu, February 25 Congress workers in Jammu city held protests on Wednesday against the arrest of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Uday Bhanu Chib and others in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI Impact summit in the capital last week, demanding the immediate release of the detained leaders.
Led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress working president Raman Bhalla, the workers took out a protest march from the party office on Residency Road, carrying placards and raising slogans against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Heavy police deployment, along with barricading at Raghunath Bazaar, was ensured to prevent the protesters from moving forward, police said, adding that Congress workers were prevented from breaking the barricades.
Raman Bhalla condemned Chib's arrest as an illegal and arbitrary decision by the Union government and said that the Congress would continue its protest until the IYC chief and other detained leaders are released, alleging that the government has made the issue a matter of prestige.
Addressing reporters here, Bhalla said that the Centre was acting out of fear and attempting to suppress dissent.
Terming the action against the youth leaders as "highly condemnable," he said that the attempt to suppress the voice of the youth was unacceptable and deserved strong criticism.
Questioning the BJP's move, Bhalla said that there was no compulsion for the party to act in such a manner. He maintained that the protest, which raised farmers' concerns, was peaceful and within democratic rights.
"Those who value democracy carried out the demonstration peacefully, and the manner in which they are being treated by the BJP government is unfortunate," he said.
Referring to the alleged conduct of the BJP, Bhalla said that the Centre should apologize for the attitude it adopted.
Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma termed Chib's arrest as undemocratic. "IYC workers protested peacefully. They did not resort to violence, nor were they carrying any weapons," he said.
"We are peacefully protesting against the arbitrary arrests of our leaders. We will protest across Jammu and Kashmir until they are released," he asserted.