Art 370 abrogation anniversary: Cong and PDP protest, BJP celebrates; J&K leaders claim house arrest

Srinagar/Jammu, Aug 5 (PTI) Protests by Congress and PDP in Jammu and celebrations by BJP in Srinagar marked the fifth anniversary of the reading down of Article 370 of the Constitution that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir even as former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and several other regional party leaders claimed that they were put under house arrest.

The Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) observed the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 as a ‘black day’ by holding separate protest rallies in Jammu to demand the restoration of statehood and special status for Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Vikar Rasool Wani criticised the BJP-led Centre for failing to curb the rise in terror attacks in the region following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two Union territories.

Chanting slogans against the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and in favour of statehood restoration, the protestors sat on a dharna after being stopped by police from proceeding further.

Flanked by senior leaders and former ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Raman Bhalla, and former legislator Ravinder Sharma, Wani said August 5 has become the darkest day in Jammu and Kashmir’s history.

“It is a day when our prosperous, happy state was downgraded into a Union territory, its historic statehood and special status snatched, and bifurcated into two UTs. We are marking it as a black day, wearing black clothes and badges to protest against this injustice,” Wani told reporters.

The Pradesh Congress Committee chief held the BJP and its government responsible for the decision, which he called a “draconian measure”.

“For this symbol of injustice to the people of J-K, they are celebrating this day as UT Divas,” he added.

The PDP also held a protest rally in Gandhinagar in Jammu on the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.

Led by party general secretary Amrik Singh and spokesperson Virender Singh, PDP workers wore black badges and raised anti-BJP slogans, demanding the restoration of the special status and statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.

In Srinagar, BJP leaders celebrated the fifth anniversary by claiming that the Union Territory has been put on a path to peace and development after the revocation of Article 370.

“We celebrate this occasion with immense joy and optimism,” the BJP said in a statement here.

“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. Our focus remains on supporting the continued development and well-being of the region,” the party’s Kashmir wing said.

Meanwhile, PDP president and several leaders from the National Conference claimed to have been put under house arrest early in the day.

“I have been placed under house arrest while the PDP office has been locked,” Mehbooba told PTI.

The former chief minister later took to social media, saying “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 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.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said while BJP leaders were allowed to celebrate the day, those who are against the abrogation have been locked up in their homes.

“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,” he said in a post on X.

Official sources said the office of Apni Party, headed by Altaf Bukhari, was also closed for the day as a precautionary measure.

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 Hassanabad area of the city. “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.

People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone said August 5 will be an “ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of Kashmiri people”.

“Five years on there is no elected assembly and the locals have no say in running their own affairs. And sadly there aren’t enough powerful voices in the country to seek questions as to why J and K has been selectively targeted for such humiliating existence,” Lone posted on X.

In a statement, the National Conference alleged that the government has “unjustly” placed its 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 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,” the party said.

Speaking in the LOk Sabha, NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said the revocation of Article 370 was good neither for the country nor democracy. Reacting to his remarks, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the decision was taken for the integrity and unity of the country.

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 government also brought the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act that bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.