Over 250 BJP activists, including seven MLAs, were today arrested when they attempted to gherao Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram over the issue of return and rehabilitation of militants from PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir).
State BJP leaders assembled at Bikram Chowk here in the morning and raised slogans against the Union Minister and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
However, BJP activists failed to gherao the Union Home Minister whose cavalcade passed through the area smoothly amid tight police security.
Seven MLAs - Chaman Lal Gupta, Ashok Khajuria, Garu Ram, Choudhary Shyam, Jagdish Raj Sapolia, Bharat Bushan and Baldev Raj - courted arrest, a party spokesman said.
Mr. Gupta, leader of BJP legislative party, told reporters that the party had planned to gherao the Union Home Minister on the issue of the surrender policy of militants held across the LOC, but was foiled by the authorities by deploying police and preventing them to assemble for protest demonstration in large numbers.
He described the surrender policy of militants as a “dangerous step” with grave security repercussions.
Mr. Gupta alleged that the government was not serious about the plight of refugees of the 1947 and 1965 wars, but was taking steps to help and facilitate those who are anti-national.
