Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was put under house arrest on Saturday as the area observed the fourth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. The authorities rejected the request for permission from the People’s Democratic Party to organise a seminar.
The Mufti expressed her concerns about the claimed crackdown on her party members on Twitter in reaction to the circumstance, pointing out how the government’s claims of normalcy were undermined by their paranoia-driven actions.
“I’ve been put under house arrest along with other senior PDP leaders today. This comes after a midnight crackdown where scores of my party men are illegally detained in police stations. GOIs false claims about normalcy to the SC stands exposed by theirs actions driven by paranoia,” Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
“On one hand, giant hoardings calling upon Kashmiris to ‘celebrate’ the illegal abrogation of Article 370 have been put up across Srinagar. Whereas brute force is being used to choke the actual sentiment of the people. Hope the Hon’ble SC takes cognisance of these developments at a time when Article 370 has come up for hearing,” she added.
Adding to the accusations, large hoardings celebrating the Article 370 abrogation were seen across Srinagar, while the government was accused of using brute force to suppress genuine public sentiment. Mufti also pointed fingers at the BJP government, accusing them of orchestrating a “tamasha” (show) to deceive the public opinion in the country.
The Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) also faced similar actions as their offices were sealed by the police, barring entry and exit.
“True to form and in keeping with the clampdown on mainstream democratic activities organised by parties opposed to 5th Aug 2019, the JKNC office has been sealed by the police. No one is being allowed in or out of the office. These steps betray the nervousness of the administration & render hollow their claims regarding great improvements in the last 4 years,” a tweet from the party’s official Twitter account read.
August 5, the anniversary date of the Article 370 abrogation, marked the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its reorganization into a Union Territory. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing petitions challenging the government’s decision to revoke Article 370
