Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits staged a protest demonstration here on September 18 against a delay in the payment of monthly relief and their attempt to block the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was thwarted by police, officials said.
The protesters came out from the Jagti migrant camp on the outskirts of the city and started marching towards the nearby highway, raising slogans in support of their demand for immediate release of relief payment for the month of August, the officials said.
They said the police stopped the protesters from marching towards the highway and persuaded them to disperse.
The protesters threatened to intensify their agitation if their monthly relief was not immediately released.
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"The relief for the month of August was not released by the relief commission till date, causing hardships to the displaced community," a spokesman of the Kashmiri Pandit Relief Holders Association said.
He said this was for the first time in the past three decades that there was a delay in the release of monthly relief to the community.
"We appeal to Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha to look into the issue and ensure early release of the payment,” the spokesman said.
