BJP Permitted To Protest, Curbs Placed On NC: Omar Abdullah
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urged medical officers to serve in far-flung areas.
Published : September 2, 2026 at 8:16 PM IST
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that two protests by the National Conference and the Bharatiya Janata Party were treated differently by the police with demonstration by the opposition party allowed while curbs were placed on that of the ruling party.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah rejected comparisons between protests carried out by the NC and the BJP alleging that the administration and police handled the two demonstrations in markedly different ways.
He said one protest had been facilitated by the authorities while the other had faced what he described as "severe repression". Abdullah alleged that National Conference workers were dragged and injured during their demonstration and that some required medical treatment. He said the difference in the handling of the protests was apparent to those who witnessed both incidents.
The chief minister said BJP protesters had been permitted to demonstrate, while National Conference workers were prevented from holding a similar protest outside the BJP office.
He also pointed to the access given to the media during the BJP demonstration and stated that journalists were able to interview the Leader of the Opposition without facing the restrictions that, according to him, were imposed during the National Conference protest. Abdullah said the contrasting treatment reflected the broader political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
He questioned why protesters seeking to march toward the chief minister's residence or surround the secretariat could be permitted to proceed, while a demonstration outside the BJP office was stopped.
Earlier CM while speaking at a function at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar urged newly appointed medical officers to accept postings in remote areas. CM stated that doctors often become the final source of hope for people facing the most difficult moments of their lives. Omar distributed appointment orders to newly appointed medical officers.
Abdullah said doctors carried a responsibility that extended beyond their professional duties. He said the outcome of life and death was ultimately beyond human control, but patients and their families have often turned to doctors when they had exhausted every other option.
The chief minister acknowledged that doctors who had become accustomed to the facilities and conveniences available in Srinagar and Jammu might not always welcome postings in distant areas. But, he said, government employment came with an obligation to serve people across the region, including those living in areas where access to healthcare remained limited.
Abdullah said healthcare could not remain concentrated in the major urban centers while residents of remote areas struggled to obtain basic medical services.
He also pointed to the pressure faced by hospitals in Srinagar and Jammu, stating the concentration of patients at tertiary hospitals was partly the result of routine procedures being referred from district and sub-district facilities.
CM said the government wanted routine medical and surgical procedures to be carried out closer to patients' homes. Normal deliveries, gallbladder operations and appendicitis surgeries, he said, should generally be handled at district hospitals and, where facilities permit, at sub-district hospitals.
The chief minister said unnecessary referrals to Srinagar placed additional pressure on tertiary hospitals and made it harder for them to focus on patients requiring specialised care.
Abdullah said the government also had a responsibility to improve infrastructure and working conditions in remote health facilities so that doctors posted there could perform their duties efficiently. He congratulated the newly appointed medical officers and noted that their appointments were the result of years of medical education, training, internships and the recruitment process.
Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir has invested in medical education through subsidies and has expanded the intake capacity of medical colleges in an effort to increase the number of doctors available to serve the population.
Also Read
