The J&K administration on Saturday thwarted the protest of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) against the draft proposals of the delimitation commission by allegedly putting under house arrest three former chief ministers and other leaders and sealing Srinagar’s high-security Gupkar Road where these leaders reside.

The top leaders of PAGD, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on their Twitter handle criticized the administration for blocking gates of their residences with mobile bunkers of the police.

The Gupkar Alliance headed by Farooq Abdullah had announced a protest against the draft proposals of the delimitation commission granting six additional assembly seats for the Jammu division against one seat for Kashmir.

Despite restrictions, groups of activists of the National Conference and PDP managed to protest. The activists were carrying placards and were chanting slogans against the delimitation commission.

NC vice-president Omar Abdullah accused the administration of being “terrified” of normal political activity. Taking to Twitter he wrote, “Good morning, welcome to 2022. A new year with the same J&K police illegally locking people in their homes & an administration so terrified of normal democratic activity. Trucks parked outside our gates to scuttle the peaceful @JKPAGD sit-in protest. Some things never change.”

He said that the police have locked the internal gate connecting his father’s home to his sister’s. “Yet our leaders have the cheek to tell the world that India is the largest democracy, hah!!,” he added.

PAGD vice-chairperson Mehbooba Mufti also took to Twitter and criticised the government’s move to lock up PAGD leaders and wrote, “GOI trumpets scrapping Article 370 dismembering J&K throughout the country but is deeply paranoid intolerant when people of J&K want to protest against its disempowerment. For the umpteenth time, we’ve been placed under house arrest for trying to organise a peaceful protest.”

CPI(M) leader and spokesman of PAGD, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, tweeted; “In Kashmir, New Year began on another disappointing note where police resumed their work of scuttling the legitimate voices & squeezing democratic space by cracking down on protest against delimitation commission. Entire PAGD leadership including me have been put under house arrest”.

People Conference President Sajad Gani Lone, who has parted ways with the PAGD, criticized the J&K administration for foiling the PAGD protest against the Delimitation Commission.

In a series of tweets, Lone said he doesn’t see any valid reason why the state administration should stop political parties from protesting.

Isn’t right to protest intrinsic to the concept of a vibrant democracy. Not being critical. But state administration really needs to reassess and reevaluate”, Lone said. He said that democracy is a precious relic for which thousands have laid down their lives in the last 3 decades. Please do not unwittingly or erroneously damage it beyond recognition.

Non-violent mode of protest in the context of violent strife needs to be facilitated not stifled. He further said that by stopping political, non-violent protests, the J&K government was incentivising and facilitating and setting the conditions for a violent form of protest.