Kashmir’s situation again escalated to a new height when the female relatives of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah were detained along with other women activists today. Farooq Abdullah’s sister Suraiya, his daughter Safia and Hawa Bashir, wife of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan are also among the detainees.
Suraiya Abdullah told reporters read “On August 5, we were locked inside our homes and Article 370 was abrogated. This is a marriage by compulsion which won’t work.”
Srinagar: Farooq Abdullah's sister Suraiya and daughter Safiya detained during a protest against abrogation of #Article370 https://t.co/E28i4c96zu pic.twitter.com/oAbrIiC3Rs
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2019
According to the ground reports, around half a dozen women activists including the sister and daughter of former chief minister Farooq Abdullah have been detained today. The activists were holding a march at Pratap Park near Srinagar’s Lal Chowk to protest against the repeal of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.
The women were spotting black armbands and holding placards. After the Police denied the protestor’s permission to assemble, they staged a sit-in protest. The women said that they are being betrayed and violated as people. They further said that the Kashmiri women do not approve of the Indian government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A.
Women activists demanded the immediate release of other political detainees. They also asked for the demilitarization of areas in the erstwhile state. The issued statement by the group read: “We express our outrage against the national media for their false/misleading coverage of ground realities in Kashmir.”