CPI (Communist Party of India) staged a protest on the streets of Bhubaneswar on Sunday. The party slammed the ruling government of following undemocratic means to deal with the Jammu and Kashmir situation.
The party was protesting against the detention of their leaders CPI General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI (M) General Secretary D Raja. Both the leaders were illegally detained at Srinagar airport on Friday.
.@SitaramYechury has being detained at Srinagar Airport and not allowed to move anywhere. This despite the fact that he had informed the administration about his visit to meet CPIM MLA MY Tarigami who is not well & other party workers.
We strongly protest this illegal detention.— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) August 9, 2019
The party claims that Sitaram Yechury had informed the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik about his visit a day before. The leader is said to have apprised the Governor on Thursday about his decision to come to Jammu and Kashmir for visiting his party MLAs. Yet he was detained at the airport.
The party called the ruling government’s move as undemocratic. It also accused the government of showing its authoritative face. CPI National Executive Committee member, Ram Krishna who was also at the protest said, “D Raja and Sitaram Yechury both wrote to the governor of Jammu and Kashmir that they were going to meet their workers and the ailing CPI (M) MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami. Despite writing to the administration,
they were illegally detained at Srinagar airport.”
Sitaram Yechury himself condemned the government’s action and called it as the violation of his rights. He showed strong opposition to this illegal confinement on social media.
Com D Raja and I were not allowed to leave Srinagar airport to meet our comrades. This detention at the airport is a violation of our democratic rights. We strongly protest this suppression of basic freedoms by the Centre and stand in solidarity with the people of Kashmir. https://t.co/M8TXD0mfs3
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) August 9, 2019
Sitaram Yechury also claimed that they do not know the whereabouts or of the well-being of their comrade Yusuf Tarigami.
In a related incident, Senior leader of the Congress Party, Ghulam Nabi Azad was also detained at the Srinagar airport. He was not allowed to go out and meet his party members and visit his home.
As much as 300 political leaders, including former Chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, have also been put under custody for avoiding political tensions. The Centre has divided the former state into 2 Union territories and deployed over 40,000 troops in Jammu and Kashmir to deal with the situation.
ALSO READ:
- All Indian Professional Congress (AIPC) urges party leadership to appoint interim party president soon
- Congress to hold its CWC Meeting on August 10; likely to take up leadership crisis issue
- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opposes Inter-State Water River Dispute Bill; passes a resolution