Srinagar: Former Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) Chief, Mehbooba Mufti is one of the Kashmiri leaders who has reportedly been placed under house arrest on the fourth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
Soon after a tweet from Mufti about the detention of PDP workers, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), led by Farooq Abdullah, claimed that their party office had also been sealed, rendering it inaccessible to both entry and exit.
Mufti alleged that her party members were subjected to an "illegal detention" following a midnight crackdown by authorities. Mufti's claims were accompanied by visuals showing the locked gate of her residence.
The JKNC, in a tweet, criticized the actions of the central government, asserting that the events of the day revealed the true state of affairs in the region, contrary to the government's claims of normalcy.
Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, the General Secretary of the PDP, also reported being placed under house arrest, lamenting the denial of movement for his family as well. Hanjura took to social media to express his thoughts, suggesting that the actions of the authorities undermined their assertions of normalcy.
The developments unfolded amidst an ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court regarding petitions related to the abrogation of Article 370. A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, was reportedly examining the constitutional aspects of the controversial move.
Even as political leaders found themselves confined, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took to Twitter to mark the fourth anniversary of the Article 370 abrogation. His tweet, congratulating the completion of four years since the change, seemed to stand in contrast to the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.
The events of this day have underscored the continued tensions surrounding the abrogation of Article 370, revealing a stark contrast between political rhetoric and the on-ground reality in the region.
As the detained leaders' voices were temporarily muted, their allegations of infringement on democratic processes have once again ignited debates over the path taken by the central government in Jammu and Kashmir.