Priya Aditi
On Saturday, the fourth anniversary of the repeal of Article 370, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, along with other political leaders, were placed under house arrest. The administration denied Mufti’s Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party’s request for permission to conduct a seminar.
“Today, I was placed under house arrest alongside other senior PDP leaders. This follows a crackdown at midnight in which dozens of my party members were unlawfully detained in police stations. Mehbooba Mufti tweeted that the Indian government’s claims of normalcy to the Supreme Court were exposed by their paranoid actions.
“Across Srinagar, enormous billboards urging Kashmiris to ‘celebrate’ the illegal repeal of Article 370 have been erected. In contrast, brute force is used to suffocate the genuine sentiment of the people. She added, “I hope the Honourable Supreme Court takes note of these developments now that Article 370 is up for hearing.”
PDP refused authorization to conduct event.
The Srinagar administration has denied the PDP permission to hold an event on the fourth anniversary of the repeal of Article 370, according to the PDP.
Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was repealed by the Centre on 5 August 2019 and the state was divided into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Mufti asserted on Friday that party leaders were being detained in advance of the fourth anniversary of the repeal of Article 370.
“Why are PDP leaders being detained by @JmuKmrPolice on the eve of the 5th of August? In this video, Arif Laigroo has been taken by the police,” Mehbooba tweeted as she uploaded a video purportedly showing a PDP leader being taken away in a police vehicle.
The PDP had requested permission to conduct a seminar or public discussion on Saturday regarding the repeal of Articles 370 and 35A in preparation for the event.
The PDP had previously stated that it had invited like-minded Kashmiri parties to the event, which was to be held at Sher-e-Kashmir Park near the PDP’s headquarters.
“At approximately 5 p.m. on August 4, 2023, our representative was informed that the requested permission was denied without explanation,” a PDP spokesman said.
He stated that while the PDP was denied permission, the BJP was granted permission to “celebrate” the repeal of the two articles by holding a rally from Nehru Park to the SKICC and a rally at Jawahar Nagar Park.
“We strongly condemn the administration’s dual and dubious approach, and this reaffirms our position that the administration and country are run not according to rules or the constitution, but by the BJP’s political agenda,” the spokesman said.
Mehbooba also claimed on Twitter that the BJP government has given the “tamasha” of celebrating the “illegal” abrogation of Article 370 a free hand in order to “mislead” the public opinion in the country.
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She stated, “This merely exposes the facade of normalcy, which is a fabrication to justify their illegal actions.”
