Mamata raises concern over Omar Abdullah’s ‘house arrest’, dubs it ‘violation of democratic rights’

Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, slammed the house arrest of her Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) counterpart Omar Abdullah as ‘shameful, shocking and unacceptable’ and ‘snatching of democratic rights of a citizen’.

On Monday morning, when Abdullah and his supporters reached Naqshband Sahib graveyard in Srinagar to pay tributes to Kashmiri protesters shot dead by Maharaja Hari Singh’s Dogra forces on July 13, 1931, the police personnel tried to stop them.

A defiant Abdullah, however, scaled the gates of the graveyard to pay tribute.

“What is wrong with visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elected Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful,” Banerjee wrote in her X handle.

Sharing a video on X, Abdullah said: “This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact these “protectors of the law” need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha.”

He alleged that the policemen tried to stop them and tore apart their flags. “However, their attempts failed and the fatiha was read,” he added.

Last Thursday, Banerjee held a meeting with Abdullah at Nabanna and urged the Centre to take urgent steps to ensure the security of Jammu and Kashmir, which is essential to boost tourism in the region.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation between Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal, particularly in the areas of industry and tourism.

Abdullah had invited Banerjee to visit Jammu and Kashmir and expressed his desire to work together for the betterment of trade and relations between the two states.

Banerjee, who is also the chairperson of All India Trinamool Congress, expressed her willingness to travel there after the Durga Puja festivities later this year. “I’ll try to visit Kashmir after Puja. We are ready to support Kashmir in every way possible. Our tourists should visit Kashmir; there is no reason to fear. The Government of India must also take steps to ensure more people can travel there. Border security lies with the Centre, so they should take necessary action. If needed, they should speak to Omar Abdullah and make proper arrangements,” Banerjee had said.