JAMMU: Four Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Congress leaders, including Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president and former minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib were put under house arrest in the temple city on Tuesday.
Giving details, former MLC and J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, “Party president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, former legislative assembly speaker Tara Chand, former minister Raman Bhalla and PYC president Uday Bhanu Chib were put under house arrest.”
Restrictions had been imposed on other party leaders, he said.
When contacted, Mir claimed the administration had earlier given the state party unit permission to take a delegation of party workers to Udhampur, Batote, Ramban on Tuesday and then to Anantnag and Srinagar on Wednesday to meet workers there and restart party activity at the grassroots level.
Terming it arm-twisting tactics of the government to stifle the opposition’s voice, Mir said: “On Tuesday morning I and my senior colleagues Raman Bhalla and Tara Chand were put under house arrest.
He alleged at the station house officers concerned “told us that they had got instructions from the ‘top’.”
{{/usCountry}}He alleged at the station house officers concerned “told us that they had got instructions from the ‘top’.”
{{/usCountry}}Criticising the Central government, Chib said, “the Modi government can invite European MPs to Kashmir but the Congress leaders can’t be allowed talk to people of their own country.”
It is to be noted that the government on Monday released five politicians in Srinagar who were detained as a precautionary measure five months ago ahead of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
However, three former chief ministers, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti continue to remain in detention.
The centre has not provided any definite date for their release, maintaining that they will be will be freed at an “appropriate” time.
J&K lieutenant governor GC Murmu has repeatedly said that the government is eager to start political activity in the union territory so that assembly elections could be held at the earliest.