People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah have claimed to be under house arrest by the police in anticipation of the Supreme Court's verdict on Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
After four years since its implementation, the Supreme Court bench has rejected the case presented by the petitioners and upheld Article 370 as a temporary provision in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PDP, in a tweet, alleged that the police had sealed the doors of Mufti's residence before the announcement of the Article 370 verdict. Simultaneously, the NC claimed in a tweet that Omar Abdullah was "locked up inside his house".
However, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha refuted these claims, labelling them as "baseless". Umar Abdullah responded, questioning the denial, stating that the chains on his gate were not put by himself.
Meanwhile, officials reported that police restricted journalists from approaching the residences of NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah at Gupkar in Srinagar. A significant police presence was observed at the entry point of Gupkar Road, preventing journalists from accessing the NC leaders' residence.
Not the first time
On August 5, 2019, Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and other Kashmiri leaders were arrested after the Centre passed bills to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union Territories (UTs) - Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Telephone communications, mobile phone coverage, broadband internet and cable TV services were also cut off in the valley.
