Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday claimed that he and fellow Left leader D Raja were detained at Srinagar airport when they reached there.
Yechury said they were negotiating with authorities after being shown a legal order stating that even escorted movement was not possible.
The CPI(M) tweeted that Yechury was not being allowed to move anywhere even though he had informed the local administration about his planned visit to meet his party workers and a former MLA of his party who was unwell. “We strongly protest this illegal detention,” the party said.
On Thursday, both Yechury and Raja had written separate letters to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to inform him of their planned visit to the state. In similarly-worded letters, they had expressed hope that they would not face hurdles during their visit. Yechury had said he was going to visit Kashmir to meet members of his party. D Raja of the Communist Party of India had also told Malik that he wanted to meet his party members.
Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was on Thursday not allowed to exit the Srinagar airport and was sent back to Delhi. Azad had arrived in the city to meet Congress workers as the state was still under a tight security and information clampdown since Sunday night. Restrictions were eased on Friday.
This week, the Union government decided to revise Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, to a single clause revoking the state’s privileges and ordering all laws to be applicable in the region the way they are in the rest of India. The government also split the state into two Union territories, making Ladakh a separate territory.
Sitaram Yechury, D Raja detained at Srinagar airport, Not allowed to move anywhere
