Srinagar: Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha has been confined to his hotel in Srinagar, where he arrived for a four-day visit Friday. The ex-BJP leader has also been denied permission to visit detained Kashmiri politicians in the city.
Speaking to ThePrint, Sinha said he wrote a letter to the deputy commissioner of police in Srinagar seeking permission to meet detained Kashmiri politicians in the city, and also informed the authorities about his plans to visit Pulwama.
However, the Jammu and Kashmir police sent a letter to Sinha late Friday, advising the veteran politician and others accompanying him on the visit to refrain from going to Pulwama.
Sinha said he planned to meet Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah, his son and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, the last CM of the undivided erstwhile state. He also wanted to meet former Kulgam MLA and senior CPI(M) leader Yusuf Tarigami.
The Kashmiri politicians have been in detention since the Narendra Modi government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on 5 August, and divided the state into two union territories — Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh.
Sinha is travelling with former Vice Air Chief Marshal Kapil Kak, ex-civil servant Wajahat Habibullah and other civil society members. He claimed none of them had been permitted to meet detained politicians.
After being denied permission to go to Pulwama, the former Union minister said the visiting group decided to visit Budgam. However, they weren’t allowed to leave the hotel.
“On Saturday morning, we had discussions with lots of security people present here (in the hotel) and finally decided that we will not go to Pulwama. Instead, we fixed up a programme to go to a place in Budgam district and we informed the authorities about out plans,” said Sinha.
“We sat in our taxis but as we reached the hotel gate we were told by security people that Budgam is also terrorism affected and we can’t go to Budgam. Then they told us that there is a general direction that we can’t go out of Srinagar,” he added.
“They did not allow the hotel gate to open. We waited in our taxis for an hour and tried to reason with them but they did not listen,” Sinha said.
Sinha and the group’s visit to the state comes amid continuing tensions in the Valley over several militant attacks.
Also read: Yashwant Sinha allowed phone call to Farooq Abdullah, says he is ‘in high spirits’
‘For your safety’
In the letter to Sinha Friday, the office of SSP Security, J&K Police, said, “Keeping in view the volatility of the area and an impending terrorist threat, I am directed by SSP security, Kashmir to strongly advise you to refrain from taking any such journey which would jeopardise your safety and security our cooperation in this regard would be highly appreciated.”
Sinha told ThePrint that the use of the words “an impending terrorist threat” in the communication was “sinister”. He added that police officers have constantly been calling him up to know about his itinerary.
“They are afraid of the reality. In all our previous trips, nobody has ever told us don’t go here don’t go there and if any advisory was necessary, they would tell us about the threat and necessary steps,” Sinha added.
The former BJP leader said that due to his confinement he was not sure if he will be allowed to follow his other plans, which included a visit to militancy hotbed Shopian.
The decision to disallow Sinha was taken keeping in mind his security and the threats to it, said a senior J&K police officer on condition of anonymity.
Speaking of ways to deal with the current phase of tensions in the Valley after the scrapping of Article 370, Sinha said, “ I think we have reached a time where we need to extend Article 371 not only in J&K but also in other Indian states just like exists in Nagaland and some other states. Naga peace talks are happening around it.”
Article 371 of the Indian constitution grants special provisions for some states.
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Great champion of free speech. Will not allow which doesn’t “Wah-wah” it.
You are a hero for the PRINT and NDTV. Encash it.
Political hungry man Dying for publicity to show that he is still alive and not dead politically .
And there was an ectoplasmic blob, who is also the home minister of the nation, who lies every time he opens his mouth, who said that everything was normal in Kashmir.
Just a washed up politician looking for piblicity.