Two former Chief Ministers of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, were arrested within hours after the Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Bill to bifurcate State into two Union Territories (UTs).
According to official sources, first PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti was escorted to the State guest house by the security personnel and later Omar Abdullah was taken into police custody.
Early in the day, both these politicians had reacted adversely to the historic move of scrapping of Article 370.
Omar in a press statement said, “The Government of India (GOI)’s unilateral and shocking decisions today are a ‘total betrayal of trust’ that the people of Jammu & Kashmir had reposed in India when the State acceded to it in 1947”.
“The decisions will have far reaching and dangerous consequences. This is an aggression against people of the State as had been warned by all parties meeting in Srinagar on Sunday. A long and tough battle lies ahead,” he added.
Mehbooba, Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Lone, the three most prominent politicians from Jammu and Kashmir, were earlier placed under house arrest after midnight on Sunday in an unprecedented lockdown.
Mehbooba tweeted, “Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy. Decision of J&K leadership to reject 2 nation theory in 1947 & align with India has backfired.”
“The abrogation of Article 370 hasn’t just made accession null & void but also reduces India to an occupation force in Jammu and Kashmir” she added.
Without stopping, she vent her ire in a series of tweets. “It will have catastrophic consequences for the subcontinent. GOIs intentions are clear. They want the territory of J&K by terrorising it’s people. India has failed Kashmir in keeping its promises” wrote Mehbooba in her another tweet.
She also warned the Central Government that the step taken by the BJP Government will further alienate Kashmiris.
“People like us who placed faith in Parliament, the temple of democracy have been deceived. Those elements in J&K who rejected the constitution & sought resolution under the UN have been vindicated. This will exacerbate the alienation Kashmiris feel”.
Raising question marks, Mehbooba in another tweet said, “What did J&K get for acceding to India? Another partition along communal lines? Our special status isn’t a gift bestowed upon us. Its a right guaranteed by the same Parliament. A contract entered into by J&K leadership & India. Today the very same contract has been violated
“GOIs intention is clear & sinister. They want to change demography of the only Muslim majority State in India, disempower Muslims to the extent where they become second class citizens in their own State”.
Welcoming the decision of bifurcating the State and according Union Territory status to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, President of West Pakistan Refugee Action Committee, Labha Ram Gandhi said, “Seven decade long struggle has borne fruitful results today”. An estimated number of 19960 families of West Pakistan Refugees are currently staying in Jammu. The Union Government had also announced a compensation package @ Rs 5.5 lakh for each family.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Labha Ram Gandhi said, “It is a historic day and each and every West Pakistan Refugee family is feeling on top of the world. He also expressed hope that their genuine demands of getting citizenship and voting rights will soon be fulfilled by the Union Government and also demanded setting up of Relief Commissioners’ office to settle claims for West Pakistan Refugee families.
Panun Kashmir leader Dr Agnishekhar greeted citizens of India on this historic day. He said, “India is reborn today”.
The Muslim state which was established and nourished within secular India has gone now. He said, “It augurs well for the fate and future of secular India”.
He said the aspirations of people of Ladakh has been fulfilled and history has been made by the Union Government by scrapping Article 370.
He said, “We now hope and expect that the Government of India will rehabilitate us and grant us all our constitutional rights, institutional, political, geopolitical rights and take note of our long struggle by restoring our economical rights and sense of security.
Senior Jammu and Kashmir High Court lawyer, Sheikh Shakeel said, “If the Government of India is claiming that they have taken the decision in the interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir then why none of them are allowed to celebrate on the streets and burst crackers. He termed it a constitutional blunder by the BJP Government as the State of Jammu and Kashmir lost its statehood and bifurcated in to two Union Territories.
Sheikh Shakeel claimed with this step there will be more alienation in Kashmir valley. Meanwhile, common people and businessmen in Jammu welcomed the decision and claimed it will empower people of Jammu region more now.
Ahead of the announcement in Parliament, deserted streets across Jammu and Srinagar had greeted the historic decision of the BJP-led NDA Government to scrap Article 370. Mobile internet services remained suspended across the State while cable TV network and mobile calling facility was also suspended in several districts across the State. Till late evening, peace prevailed across the State with no untoward incident reported from any part of the State.
Students of Jammu University, camping inside the campus also organised a brief celebration and took out a victory march displaying placards with a message’ Article 370 is history’.
All entry and exit routes in walled city of Jammu and at several other vulnerable places were blocked by spreading concertina wires by the jawans of the paramilitary forces. Normal life remained paralysed while district administration had closed down educational institutions across all the district headquarters of Jammu region.