Srinagar: The Central Committee of the CPI(M) has demanded that all those detained in Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019 must be released, full communications must be restored and the free movement of people allowed.
The Central Committee met online and observed that release of political prisoners and restoration of communication is essential for both combating the pandemic effectively and providing relief to the beleaguered people.
“Even after nearly a year of the unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A), large-scale detention of hundreds of people including all prominent political leaders, the virtual disruption of regular socio-economic life of the people and curtailing communication network, the situation continues to remain critical. During the period of the national lockdown that was imposed over and above the political lockdown in Jammu & Kashmir for nearly a year, the Central government has altered the definition of domicile status to permit people from outside to procure government jobs and purchase property, thereby bringing about a demographic transformation in Jammu & Kashmir. Serious violations of people’s democratic rights and civil liberties continue with all dissentors being treated as anti-national elements and booked under draconian laws,” the meeting observed as per a statement issued afterwards.
The statement said the new media policy announced in the now Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir legalizes the control of the bureaucracy and security officials over what can be published or not.
“Thereby, abrogating the Constitutional guarantee to the right to free speech and expression,” said the statement.
