'No Stick-Waving Or Aggressive Gestures': Omar Abdullah, In First Move As J&K CM, Sets New VIP Protocol

Newly sworn-in Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah directed the police to not inconvenience the general public especially during VIP movement. "I have spoken to the DG, Jammu and Kashmir police, that there is to be no 'green corridor' or traffic stoppage when I move anywhere by road. I have instructed him to minimise public inconvenience & the use of sirens is to be minimal," he said in a post on X on Wednesday.

I have spoken to the DG @JmuKmrPolice that there is to be no “green corridor” or traffic stoppage when I move anywhere by road. I have instructed him to minimise public inconvenience & the use of sirens is to be minimal. The use of any stick waving or aggressive gestures is to be…

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 16, 2024

The National Conference leader also asked the police to avoid "aggressive gestures" and "stick waving" especially when he is on the move. "The use of any stick waving or aggressive gestures is to be totally avoided. I am asking my cabinet colleagues to follow the same example. In everything our conduct must be people-friendly. We are here to serve the people & not to inconvenience them."Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the union territory on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating him. "Congratulations to Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J-K's progress," the PM wrote on X.Lieutenant Governor Manoj Saxena administered the oath of office to Abdullah and his ministers.Speaking about the challenges that lay ahead, he said, "I have some strange distinctions. I was the last chief minister to serve a full six-year term. Now I'll be the first chief minister of the Union territory of J-K. The last distinction, as in the one of serving six years, I'm quite happy about. Being a CM of a Union Territory is a different matter altogether. It has its challenges. I hope that the status of a union territory is a temporary one. We look forward to working in cooperation with the government of India to resolve the people's problems and the best way to do that would be to start by restoring statehood to J-K."National Conference MLAs Javed Ahmed Rana from Mendhar, Javid Ahmad Dar from Rafiabad, Sakina Itoo from DH Pora, and Surinder Kumar Chowdhary have been inducted as ministers in Abdullah's Cabinet. They were sworn-in today.The National Conference secured 42 seats in the recently-held Assembly elections.