Jammu, Dec 17 (KNO): Alleging discrimination by the Jammu and Kashmir government against Hindi and Sanskrit in recruitment, the activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of BJP, blocked the main Tawi Bridge of Jammu, resulting in a massive traffic congestion and jams in entire city till late evening.
The commuters remained stranded for about four-five hours while people blamed traffic authorities for mismanagement and chaos.
However, the authorities tried to divert the traffic towards Beli Charana-Bhagwati Nagar bridge and Bahu Fort-Gujjar Nagar bridge but the blockaded of main Highway, resulted in server traffic jams in entire city, with several school buses and public transporter buses also remain standstill at several locations, giving nightmare to the commuters.
Though the protest dispersed in the afternoon, jams continued till late evening in Jammu city. As per details, ABVP led student activists assembled near Jammu University and marched towards Bikram Chowk where they staged a protest march and sat on a dharna, blocking the main Tawi bridge, which connects North and South of Jammu City.
The demonstrators accused the National Conference-led government of sidelining Hindi and Sanskrit in a recent recruitment notification issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for 10+2 Lecturer positions. They also alleged that the government was promoting foreign languages such as Arabic and Persian, which were included in the recruitment notification.
Akshi Billowria, ABVP State Secretary said that the main demand of students is to get immediate action to address this issue and ensure that the national language is given its due importance in the education system.
She claimed that the students protest was peaceful and ABVP blocked Tawi Bridge to draw attention to the issue.
She further said that posts for languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, and Dogri should also be created. There are posts for subjects like Urdu and Persian, but not for Hindi and Sanskrit. This is a conspiracy to eliminate languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, and Dogri from Jammu and Kashmir.
ABVP leader Anita Devi echoed similar sentiments, saying, “This is not just about recruitment, it is a fight for our cultural identity.”
The protesting students expressed frustration over the JKPSC’s omission of Hindi and Sanskrit lecturer posts in its notice dated November 12, despite advertising 575 other teaching positions.
“We blame Education Minister Sakina Itoo and warn the Omar Abdullah-led government that students in Jammu will not accept this silently. The Kashmir-centric policies of this government are unacceptable, and we will fight this discrimination tooth and nail,” said one of the protestors.
Several protesting students courted arrest and senior police and district administration officers spoke to the student leaders to lift the blockade. Many of the protesters were also detained by police. The BJP and several Jammu-based organisations have condemned the government’s move and warned of serious repercussions.
“The NC government has barely resumed power and has already begun pushing its Kashmir-centric policies, sidelining the legitimate aspirations of Jammu’s youth. This is unacceptable and we will not stand for it,” BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa said.
Randhawa urged the JKPSC to ensure fair representation for regional languages by adding 200 posts for Hindi and at least 20 posts each for Dogri, Punjabi, and Sanskrit—(KNO)