The Gorkha community in Jammu staged a protest against a recent resolution passed in the assembly, which seeks the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. The protesters, led by Jammu and Kashmir Gorkha Sabha president Karuna Chatri, burned effigies of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, expressing their dissatisfaction with the National Conference government and what they described as "Kashmir-centric leadership."

Hundreds of Gorkhas, including women and children, participated in the protest rally, calling for a separate state for the Jammu region. They argued that having their own state would enable them to form a government focused on policies and decisions that benefit their community. The resolution passed on Wednesday, aims to reinstate the special status previously granted to Jammu and Kashmir under the now-revoked Article 370.

Raising slogans against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy CM Choudhary and NC President Farooq Abdullah, the protestors said it could "deny them citizenship rights". "NC governments (of the past) and Kashmir-centric leaders have always denied us the right to live in Jammu and Kashmir with dignity for 70 years. They denied us the right to vote, job opportunities, the right to contest elections, and even the right to own property," Chatri told reporters.

"Now, they have passed a resolution to restore Article 370, in a bid to deny us citizenship rights in J-K again. We condemn it," she said. Chatri accused the NC and Kashmir-based leadership of being biased against Hindus in J-K and said they did not "receive citizenship rights for 70 years" under them. "But after the abrogation of Article 370, we are finally citizens of J-K. Now they want to take away our rights again because we are Hindus in a Muslim-majority region," she said.

Protesters burned effigies of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, the MLA from Nowshera in the Jammu region, and labelled him a "Jaichand"—a reference to the 12th-century King of Kannauj, often depicted in historical narratives as a traitor to India.

The demonstrators also demanded a separate state for Jammu, arguing that their community’s progress is hindered under the leadership of "Kashmiri rulers." They believe that a distinct Jammu state would better serve their needs and aspirations, fostering growth and development tailored to their region.

"We want a separate state for the Jammu region, where leaders from Jammu will prioritise our development and growth, as we have suffered greatly under NC and Kashmiri-centric regimes. A government in Jammu will ensure our betterment," Sundar Gurkha said.

Around 30,000 Gorkha families migrated to Jammu and Kashmir from Nepal nearly 80 years ago to join forces with the former Dogra Army, and many among them have at least one war veteran in their family. This year, they participated in assembly elections for the first time, marking the inaugural poll in J-K since Article 370 was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

On Wednesday, the J-K Assembly passed a resolution calling on the Centre to engage with elected representatives to discuss restoring the former state's special status. BJP MLAs opposed the resolution, expressing their dissent.