Omar Abdullah takes autorickshaw after police stop J&K statehood protest in Delhi

Published 20 July 2026 · local

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday took an autorickshaw in central Delhi after police stopped Conference leaders from moving towards Jantar Mantar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday took an autorickshaw in central Delhi after police stopped Conference leaders from moving towards Jantar Mantar to demand the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory. Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, party leaders, workers and alliance partners had gathered in the capital on the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon session for the protest. Read Full Story After being denied permission to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar, the Conference shifted its programme to the nearby Constitution Club. Omar Abdullah, however, was stopped from going there as well and sat on a dharna with supporters on Ashoka Road, while later saying the party had been stopped from protesting peacefully but not silenced.

Sharing a video of the ride on X, Omar Abdullah said, "My walk from Jantar Mantar was about to turn into another procession, so we grabbed the first available means of transport." His sons, Zamir and Zaheer, were also seen in the video. Security personnel accompanying the chief minister, a Z-plus protectee, struggled to keep pace, with some getting onto two-wheelers and others into an autorickshaw. After reaching Prithviraj Road, Omar Abdullah paid the autorickshaw driver Rs 500. My walk from Jantar Mantar was about to turn into another procession so we grabbed the first available means of transport. pic.twitter.com/R8mtp3hk5 Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 20, 2026 The protest had begun at Jammu and Kashmir House on Prithviraj Road, where NC leaders, workers and alliance partners gathered with placards reading "Apna wada pura karo" and "Restore full statehood".

Protesters also raised slogans such as "Modi ka wada, kyun raha aadha?" Omar Abdullah said the protest was meant to hold the Centre accountable to its explicit commitments before both Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. In another post on X, he said, "We were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar and stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours, but we were not silenced. This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity, and everything that was taken away from us." The party's plan was changed after thousands converged at Jantar Mantar for the Cockroach Janta Party's 'Chalo Sansad' march.

Omar Abdullah had arrived in Delhi on Friday with his father, returned to Jammu on Sunday to chair an emergency high-level meeting after flash floods in the Poonch-Rajouri belt, and came back to Delhi early on Monday to join the protest. The day's protest saw Conference leaders prevented from reaching both Jantar Mantar and the Constitution Club, after which Omar Abdullah travelled by autorickshaw and joined a dharna with supporters, while the party renewed its demand for the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Ends With PTI inputs