By Naveed Iqbal
On the fifth anniversary of the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution, several mainstream politicians in the Valley said they were detained in their homes while others were “advised” not to leave their premises.
The local BJP unit, meanwhile, took out a celebratory procession in Srinagar saying that “Kashmir gained freedom on August 5”.
National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq and its youth president Salman Sagar were detained in their homes, the party said. Iltija Mufti, daughter of former J&K chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti also posted pictures of the gates to her house being locked.
“If Kashmir is as normal as GOI claims it to be, why does J&K Police place us under illegal house arrest on 5th August every year? The arrogance is such that SHO Nowgam has locked us up inside our own house and taken the keys away. Cops or new age jailers? You decide.” The PDP office in central Srinagar was also locked up on Monday.
In a statement, the National Conference said, “The Government has once again unjustly placed our leaders under house arrest, effectively isolating the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, in Srinagar. This blatant suppression of mainstream democratic activities only serves to showcase the administration’s underlying fear and exposes the hollowness of their claims of progress over the past five years.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
