SRINAGAR, AUG 5 : On the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on Monday, several political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir claimed that they have been put under house arrest, even as security was beefed up in the Union Territory.

On August 5, 2019 the Bharatiya Janata Party-led federal government abrogated the J&K special status by scrapping Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and turned Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.

While most political parties in Jammu and Kashmir denounced the scrapping of Article 370, the BJP held a celebratory procession in Srinagar saying that “Kashmir gained freedom on August 5, 2019.”
Chief Spokesperson of National Conference Tanvir Sadiq said that he has been detained at home.
“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,” he said on X.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter and her media advisor Iltija Mufti said that she had been put under house arrest.

“If Kashmir is as normal as GOI claims it to be why does @JmuKmrPolice place us under illegal house arrest every year? The arrogance is such that SHO Nowgam has locked us up inside our own house & taken the keys away. Cops or new age jailers? You decide,” Iltija posted on X while sharing the pictures of the locked gate.A PDP spokesman said that the party headquarters in the city centre was also sealed.
There was no statement from the J&K administration about the house arrest of political leaders.
PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, former Mayor Srinagar and Youth President National Conference Salman Sagar also claimed that they were under house detention.

While the major regional political parties alleged restriction on their movement, the BJP took out a march to celebrate the abrogation of Article 370 at their party office in Srinagar. “Kashmir gained freedom on August 5. We celebrate this occasion with immense joy and optimism,” said a BJP leader.

“The abrogation of Article 370 has ushered in an era of peace and opportunity for the people of Kashmir. The absence of violence and the improved security situation are testaments to the effectiveness of this historic decision,” he added.

Reacting to BJP’s celebration in Srinagar, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said on X, “This is what passes for democracy and 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.”

In a statement on Monday, the NC said the Government has once again unjustly placed their leaders under house arrest, effectively isolating the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha in Srinagar.

“This blatant suppression of mainstream democratic activities only serves to showcase the administration’s underlying fear and exposes the hollowness of their claims of progress over the past five years. August 5, 2019, remains a stark reminder of the disempowerment of the people of J&K, a process that continues unchecked with the absence of a democratically elected government in the region,” the party said.

“The unilateral and undemocratic decisions made on August 5, 2019, are a betrayal of the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by New Delhi. These decisions are unacceptable to the people of J&K, as demonstrated by the recent parliamentary election results in the region. As far as JKNC is concerned, we will persist in our fight for the restoration of our abridged rights through democratic, legal, and peaceful means. The unjust actions of the government will not deter us from our mission to uphold the rights and freedoms of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the NC said.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that August 5, 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 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,” Mufti said in a post on X.

She also said the PDP successfully protested against the “illegal revocation” of J&Ks special status in Jammu.
“While BJP continues its charade of orchestrating ‘celebrations’ to mark the illegal revocation of J&Ks special status, the PDP successfully protested against the same in Jammu. This was remarkable given that attempts were made to foil these protests. Serves well to expose BJP’s false claims of normalcy in J&K,” she said.

Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone said this day will always be an ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people.

“August 5 will always be an ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people. Five years on, there is no elected Assembly and the locals have no say in running their own affairs,” he posted on X.