Places all three former J&K CM’s under house detention; Omar decries curbs, says authorities terrified by silent sit in; Mehbooba accuses Govt of being intolerant
(Asian News Hub) – Ahead of their proposed sit in against the delimitation panel’s report, the authorities placed top PAGD leaders under house detention early morning to foil the protest.
Sources in the PAGD told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that police vans were placed outside the entry gates of National Conference leader Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and also outside the residence of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. The PAGD had announced a silent sit in against the delimitation panel’s report that advocated addition of six seats to Jammu region and only one to Kashmir.
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Omar Abdullah tweeted: “Good morning and welcome to 2022. A new year with the same J&K police illegally locking people in their homes and an administration so terrified of normal democratic activity. Trucks parked outside our gates so scuttle the peaceful PAGD sit-in protest. Some things never change”
Talking to KNO, PAGD chief Dr Farooq Abdullah said that he is under house arrest. “They claim all is well.. we are sitting inside our houses,” he said. PDP president Mehbooba also confirmed to KNO that she has been placed under house arrest.
She also took to twitter and wrote: “GoI trumpets scrapping Article 370 dismembering J&K throughout the country but is deeply paranoid intolerant when people of J&K want to protest against its disempowerment. For the umpteenth time, we’ve been placed under house arrest for trying to organise a peaceful protest.”
CPI(M) leader and PAGD spokesman, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, tweeted; “In Kashmir, New Year began on another disappointing note where police resumed their work of scuttling the legitimate voices & squeezing democratic space by cracking down on protest against delimitation commission. Entire PAGD leadership including me have been put under house arrest”.
Meanwhile, NC women leader Shameema Firdous and youth leader Salman Sagar took out a rally against the delimitation panel’s proposal. They criticized government for placing top leadership of PAGD under house detention stating that the move was totally undemocratic
