Priyanka questions grounds for detaining ex-J&K CMs under PSA

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday questioned the basis on which two former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir have been booked under the Public Safety Act

Priyanka said both Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have been “incarcerated” without any charges following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and they deserve to be freed.

“On what basis has PSA been slapped on Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti? They upheld the Constitution of India, abided by the democratic process, stood up to separatists, and never ascribed to violence and divisiveness. “They deserve to be freed, not incarcerated indefinitely without any basis,” she said on Twitter.

Earlier, Priyanka asserted that it’s also been six months since millions of common citizens were locked down in Jammu and Kashmir.

“It’s been six months since two Ex-Chief Ministers have been incarcerated without any charges and millions of people were locked down in Jammu and Kashmir. Six months ago we were asking how long this will carry on? Now we are asking whether we are still a democracy or not,” Priyanka Tweeted.

The Parliament had in August last year adopted a resolution to abrogate Article 370. The Parliament had also passed a Bill to bifurcate the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

The Central government has placed almost all the prominent political leaders of Kashmir from different parties under detention including People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti.

Omar Abdullah has also been under preventive detention along with his father and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah since August 4, a day before the Centre announced the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution.

However, as part of the move to progressively release detainees in Jammu and Kashmir, the government on January 10 revoked the detention warrants of 26 persons detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

The 26 persons whose detention has been revoked are mainstream political activists.

They include Rouf Ahmad Dar from Pulwama, Abdul Salam Rather from Baramulla, Mohammad Arif Lone from Pahalgam and Javid Kalas, a resident of Shopian district.