Indian opposition leaders barred from going to Kashmir
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Indian opposition leaders including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi were barred from leaving the airport on Saturday in Kashmir, where local authorities had warned that their visit could stoke heightened tension in the region.
Just after landing at the Delhi airport after being sent back from Srinagar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the media persons who were with the delegation were mishandled and beaten up and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir “clearly is not normal”, India Today reports.
The Jammu and Kashmir government said late on Friday political leaders had been asked not to visit Srinagar as the administration works to restore order after weeks of protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Aug. 5 decision to withdraw autonomy for the state.
Meanwhile the government has opened up channels of communication with former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who were arrested ahead of the scrapping of Article 370 earlier this month.
Khalejj Times reports that highly placed official sources said a team comprising members of different Central agencies met with the two leaders in Srinagar to allow their release on “certain conditions”. The government wants to release the mainstream leaders and allow them to reach out to their party workers, but it does not want them to issue any statements or indulge in activities that would aggravate the situation in the Valley.
