Srinagar: Chief ministers of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Monday slammed the house arrest of their Jammu and Kashmir counterpart Omar Abdullah and his ministers.
Abdullah was detained at home over his wish to visit the graveyard of those killed by Dogra forces in 1931.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said it amounted to snatching the democratic rights of a citizen.
“What is wrong in visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen,” Banerjee posted on X.
“What happened to an elected Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful,” she added.
Abdullah and several leaders of the National Conference and opposition parties were put under house arrest on Sunday to prevent them from going to the Naqshband Sahib graveyard in Srinagar to mark Martyrs’ Day.
A defiant Abdullah, however, on Monday scaled the wall of the graveyard to pay tributes to the 22 people killed by the Dogra army on July 13, 1931.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a post on X, said that at a time when there is a growing demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the current events unfolding there are a grim reminder of how far things have deteriorated.
“The elected CM Hon’ble @OmarAbdullah is being placed under house arrest simply for wanting to pay homage to the 1931 martyrs and is forced to climb walls to do so. Is this how an elected Chief Minister should be treated?” he asked.
Stalin hit out at the BJP-ruled Centre, saying it was stripping away the rights of elected state governments.
“This is not just about one state or one leader. From Tamil Nadu to Kashmir, the Union BJP Government is systematically stripping away the rights of elected State Governments.
“If this can happen in Kashmir, it can happen anywhere, to any elected representative of the people. Every democratic voice must unequivocally condemn this,” he added.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav used poetry to remind the BJP about the possibility of it having to sit in the opposition in future.
“If you keep imposing restrictions on every matter like this, then when the regime changes, tell me yourself, which border will you cross to escape?” he said in a post on Hindi on X.
July 13 is commemorated as ‘Martyrs Day’ in Jammu and Kashmir in tribute to 22 people killed by the Dogra army outside Srinagar’s central jail in 1931.
The LG administration had dropped the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020.
CPI leader D Raja condemned Abdullah’s detention as insulting.
“It is utterly unacceptable that in Jammu & Kashmir, the LG’s administration and J&K Police prevented even the elected Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah, along with citizens and leaders, from paying their respects at the Martyrs’ graveyard on July 13, arresting and manhandling them.
“Adding to this insult, numerous leaders were placed under house arrest, silenced within their own homes on a day of collective remembrance. This is not just a breach of democratic norms. It’s a blatant assault on our conscience and a reminder of how far governance in J&K has fallen under authoritarian unaccountable rule,” Raja said on X.
CPI(M) demanded restoration of statehood to J&K and urged the administration to respect the people’s verdict
“This contempt for an elected government by the Central Govt and its representatives is unacceptable. Restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Respect the People’s Verdict,” it said.
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Row over Martyrs’ Day: Left parties condemn police ‘manhandling’ of JK CM, seek apology from LG
New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) Left parties on Monday condemned the alleged police’s manhandling of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who scaled the wall of a graveyard in Srinagar to pay tribute to martyrs, with the CPI(M) demanding an apology from the lieutenant governor for the “assault” on the CM.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also condemned the alleged house arrest of various political leaders, including party MLA Mohd Yusuf Tarigami, to prevent them from going to the Naqshband Sahib graveyard to mark Martyrs’ Day on Sunday.
In a statement, the Politburo of the CPI(M) said it “strongly condemns the police manhandling of Omar Abdullah”.
“The central government headed by the BJP is trying to enforce its own diktats and regressive points of view, an example of which is the abolition of the holiday on Martyrs’ Day. On the other hand, the birthday of the Maharaja, responsible for killing freedom fighters, is declared as a holiday. The Lt. Governor appointed by the central government is undermining the smooth functioning of the duly elected state government,” the CPI(M) said.
The party demanded that “the BJP government should stop playing with the sentiments of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, should restore the holiday on Martyrs’ Day, and respect and protect the democratic rights of the people of J&K. The Lt. Governor must apologise for the assault on the CM, the political leaders and the people of J&K”.
CPI general secretary D Raja shared an image of Abdullah scaling the graveyard’s wall, and said, “It is utterly unacceptable that in Jammu & Kashmir, the LG’s administration and J&K Police prevented even the elected Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with citizens and leaders, from paying their respects at the Martyrs’ graveyard on July 13, arresting and manhandling them.”
“Adding to this insult, numerous leaders were placed under house arrest, silenced within their own homes on a day of collective remembrance,” Raja said.
He said it is not just a breach of democratic norms, “it’s a blatant assault on our conscience and a reminder of how far governance in J&K has fallen under authoritarian unaccountable rule”.
“CPI demands immediate restoration of statehood, no ifs, no buts, so that the people’s representatives can truly serve, instead of being silenced and subjugated,” he said.
