'Dictatorship in J&K for Past One Year': Priyanka Targets Centre over Saifuddin Soz's 'Detention'

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday attacked the BJP government for treating her party leader Saifuddin Soz as a "prisoner", and alleged Jammu and Kashmir has been under a 'dictatorship' for the past one year.

"Saifuddin Soz has played a big role in strengthening the process of Indian democracy. By treating him like a prisoner, the BJP is trampling democracy. Dictatorship is continuing in J&K for the last one year. I want to remind the government that India is a democratic republic," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Soz, a leader of the Congress and a former Rajya Sabha member, has been alleging that he has been imprisoned in his own house and is not allowed to meet people freely. The J&K administration, however, recently told the Supreme Court that Soz was never under detention.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram called upon all political parties to think about the "virtual prison" that Kashmiris are living in for the past one year, since the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 on August 5 2019.

"Today is August 6. Will all political parties and right-thinking citizens please spare a thought for the virtual prison in which 7.5 million Kashmiris are living for the last one year?" he said in a series of tweets.

"The world is watching the brazen denial of human rights in India. India's proud record as a free and democratic country is diminished every day," he said. He alleged former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah was not allowed to hold a pre-announced meeting with leaders of other democratic parties.

"Is this the new 'democracy' that is visualised by the BJP," the former union minister asked. "If you question the government, they will tell the Court that no one is under house arrest. This is post-truth India."

He said placing someone under house arrest "is an abuse of power" and is a "completely illegal instrument" that has no sanction under the Code of Criminal Procedure. "We must all raise our collective voice and demand that Ms Mehbooba Mufti be released forthwith and all those placed under house arrest be allowed the freedom they are entitled to under the Constitution.

The government on August 5 last year announced its decision to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution and divided the state into two union territories.