‘Unwarranted’: Several J&K Leaders Claim House Arrest On Anniversary Of Article 370 Abrogation

The Centre on August 5, 2019 revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 5 August 2024 2:09 pm

Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti | Photo: PTI

On the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmiri leaders claimed they had been placed under house arrest on Monday. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti told PTI, "I have been placed under house arrest, and the PDP office has been locked."

The former chief minister later took to social media, saying, "August 5, 2019, will go down in history not just as a dark day for J&K but as a blot on Indian democracy."

"The day when a semi autonomous state was disempowered, dismembered & robbed of everything special & sacrosanct to us. Since then the state has been threatened into silence which is touted as 'peace and normalcy' to the rest of the country. Five years on the siege continues but so does the unyielding defiance & resistance. We Kashmiris refuse to be erased & unpeopled," she posted on X.

5th August 2019 will go down in history not just as a dark day for J&K but a blot on Indian democracy. The day when a semi autonomous state was disempowered, dismembered & robbed of everything special & sacrosanct to us. Since then the state has been threatened into silence which… pic.twitter.com/FNxQcJsYLc
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 5, 2024

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said while BJP leaders were allowed to celebrate the day while those who are against the abrogation have been locked up in their homes. He said in a post on X: "This is what passes for democracy & free speech in J&K. A handful of BJP 'leaders' are encouraged to celebrate today while those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley.”

This is what passes for democracy & free speech in J&K. A handful of BJP “leaders” are encouraged to celebrate today while those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley. https://t.co/FT8yGLTwFs
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 5, 2024

National Conference chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq claimed that he has been placed under house arrest. "I have been detained at home, which was completely unnecessary. I needed to leave for some work, but policemen outside my gate prevented me from doing so. This is unwarranted and illegal," Sadiq said in a post on X.

He also posted a picture showing police personnel outside the gate to his residence in Srinagar. "August 5 is and will always remain unconstitutional and illegal. On August 5, 2019, the BJP betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir. By ignoring the Constitution, the BJP undermined the constitutional, moral, ethical, and legal relationship with the J&K," the NC spokesman added.

The Centre on August 5, 2019 revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union. The Centre also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.