People of Nowshera town in Rajouri district today held massive protests and blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway demanding district status for the town. Indefinite strike continued in Nowshera township for the 33rd consecutive day today while Joint Action Committee (JAC) members have started chain hunger strike in Kalakote town demanding posting of an Additional Deputy Commissioner there.
Led by the Joint Action Committee members at Nowshera, which included Beopar Mandal, Bar Association and Sanatan Dharam Sabha, hundreds of people sat on dharna on the highway and raised slogans in support of their demand. They took out protest rally in the town. The joint action committee had given the government time till Monday evening as they last week had suspended their march to Jammu for holding a protest to press for district status to the town.
The government had sought time till Monday evening, but there was no order till today. Indefinite bandh seeking separate ADCs posting continued in Kalakote town as the market remained closed and vehicles remained off roads. Residents of Nowshera, Sunderbani and Kalakote sub-divisions have been demanding separate ADCs after the government appointed ADC for Kotranka tehsil. The agitators are demanding that either separate ADCs should be appointed or a separate district should be announced by clubbing all the four tehsils.