Srinagar/Jammu: The fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 was marked by contrasting reactions across the region with mainstream regional party leaders kept “locked” inside their homes.
The day underscored the ongoing political divide in Jammu and Kashmir, with regional parties calling for the reinstatement of rights they argue were stripped away, while the ruling BJP party celebrated the government’s decision as a step towards greater integration.
While a handful of activists of the BJP celebrated in Srinagar, Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held protests in Jammu, declaring the day a “black day” for the region.
The day was marked by claims of repression from regional party leaders as former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti announced on social media that she had been placed under house arrest and called August 05, 2019, a “dark day” for both Jammu and Kashmir and Indian democracy.
“I have been placed under house arrest while the PDP office has been locked,” Mufti said.
“The day when a semi-autonomous state was disempowered and robbed of everything special,” she lamented.
A police truck was placed outside the residence of veteran politician and three-time chief minister Farooq Abdullah at his Gupkar residence.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah echoed these sentiments, criticising the apparent “double standard” of the government in its treatment of BJP’s celebrations and the confinement of dissenting voices.
“This is what passes for democracy and free speech in J&K,” he remarked, highlighting the lockdown of opposition leaders while the ruling party celebrated.
In a statement, the NC alleged that the government has “unjustly placed our 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.
It said 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,” it added.
Official sources said the office of Apni Party, headed by Altaf Bukhari, was also closed for the day as a precautionary measure.
Reports indicated that several opposition leaders, including NC chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq, were also under house arrest, with Sadiq denouncing the restrictions as “unwarranted and illegal.”
“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 that August 05 would serve as a reminder of the “complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people,” emphasising the absence of local representation in governance.
“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. 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.
Sources said the office of the Apni Party headed by Mohammad Altaf Bukhari was also shut.
In Jammu, Congress and PDP rallied together 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.
Wani, dressed in black, led hundreds of Congress workers carrying black flags in a rally here. 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 05 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,” the Congress leader told reporters.
Wani 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.
Meanwhile, the PDP also held a protest rally in Gandhinagar here on the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
Led by party general secretary Amrik Singh and spokesperson Virender Singh, the PDP workers wore black badges and raised anti-BJP slogans, demanding the restoration of the special status and statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
Police did not allow them to move towards the national highway, prompting them to hold a brief sit-in.
“We are observing this day as black day. We held protests against the BJP which destroyed our state. We are demanding restoration of the special status of J&K”, Vijender Singh told reporters here.
During the Congress protest, Wani slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his assurance that the abrogation of Article 370 would end terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and questioned if terrorism had indeed been eradicated.
“Instead, there has been a significant increase in terrorist violence. Fifty soldiers have been martyred in the last three years in the Jammu region. The attacks are increasing,” he said.
He said that the security situation has worsened in the region and the government has failed to contain the chain of terrorist attacks.
Wani also mocked the Centre’s claims of development and job opportunities for youth, stating that Jammu and Kashmir has the highest unemployment in the country, with little industrial development.
He accused the BJP government of looting Jammu and Kashmir by awarding contracts to outsiders and fostering a drug problem among the youth.
“They have created all sorts of records in J&K, including a huge increase in drug addiction,” he said.
The J&K Congress chief demanded the immediate restoration of statehood, accusing the BJP of destroying the princely state by dividing it into two union territories.
“They have destroyed this historic state. We demand immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” he stated, as he urged the people to vote the BJP out of power.
In Srinagar, a handful of BJP leaders in Srinagar celebrated the day by asserting that the Union Territory has embarked on a path of peace and development following the abrogation of Article 370.
“We celebrate this occasion with immense joy and optimism,” the BJP’s Kashmir wing said in a statement, claiming that improved security and a decrease in violence were evidence of the success of the decision.
“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.
The abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, coupled with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, resulted in the bifurcation of the state into two union territories: Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Critics continue to point to the lack of an elected assembly and local governance as a significant concern for the region’s residents.
