They said August 5 marks one year of the abrogation of Article 370, the dissolving of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and the “caging of the people of J&K”. (File)

On the eve of the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Left parties on Monday demanded the release of all those detained since August 2019, the restoration of full communications to the region and the lifting of curbs to allow free movement of people.

The leaders of the CPI(M), CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI(ML)-Liberation said this is “essential for both combating the pandemic effectively and upholding Constitutional guarantees on democratic rights and civil liberties while providing relief to the beleaguered people”.

They said August 5 marks one year of the abrogation of Article 370, the dissolving of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and the “caging of the people of J&K”.

“Last year, the Modi Government made many tall promises about what this move would accomplish and how it would benefit India and the people of J&K. Meanwhile many warned that the Modi regime’s tyranny in Kashmir would soon be a blueprint for the whole of India,” Left leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Debabrata Biswas, Dipankar Bhattacharya and Manoj Bhattacharya said in a statement.

“A year later, the Government’s promises stand exposed betraying the people of J&K who continue to be caged and silenced,” the statement said.