Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday claimed that residents of Kashmir were being kept imprisoned in their own homes on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha. He also cautioned the Centre that the impact of changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir would be felt in other states that have special status.
“Eid is an occasion of joy and celebration, and our thoughts are with the people of Kashmir who have been kept imprisoned in their own homes,” Yechury tweeted. “We still don’t know how or where our comrades in Kashmir are.” Tagging a report on the call to boycott Independence Day celebrations by two extremist groups in the northeast, Yechury said that India was a country of diversities in language, religion, culture and ideas, which was its strength.
He further pointed out that the states with special status are mostly on the borders of the country. The politician’s remarks came two days after he and Communist Party of India leader D Raja were sent back to Delhi after being detained at Srinagar airport. They had written to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik a day in advance, informing him of the planned visit to the state on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry on Monday claimed that residents in Jammu and Kashmir offered prayers on Eid-al-Adha peacefully in local mosques without any untoward incidents. Around 10,000 people offered prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Baramulla. However, restrictions continued to be in place across the Valley as an official said large gatherings were not allowed anywhere.
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