Ahead of the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 that revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, five Left parties have in a joint statement demanded that all those detained since August 2019 be released, full communications facilities restored and free movement of people allowed in the Union Territory.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, All-India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party said this was essential both for effectively combating the COVID-19 pandemic and upholding Constitutional guarantees on democratic rights and civil liberties, while providing relief to the beleaguered people
The Left parties said the claims made by the Narendra Modi government on J&K have come to nothing in a year since the changes were brought in.
“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. 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. The parties claimed that the Modi regime’s tyranny in Kashmir would soon be a blueprint for the whole of India.
The challenges to the abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) of the Constitution are still pending before the Supreme Court.
Ms. Mehbooba Mufti is one of the last mainstream political leaders who is still in detention. There are nearly 100 other political and social activists who remain in government custody. And high speed internet continues to remain suspended in the Union Territories.