SRINAGAR: While senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad could manage a day visit to see Dr Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar after the latter’s release, local Congress leaders alleged that they have been restricted to their homes or permitted to move in a particular radius.
“I am not being permitted to move out of Jammu city,” Congress’s state president, G A Mir said. “I was permitted to move out on October 4, for the first time after August but when we moved around and started talking to people, I was directed to not move out of Jammu city.”
On October 4, the government had permitted the movement of various politicians in Jammu including Devinder Singh Rana, Ram Balla and Vikas Rasool. “When the Congress announced that we will visit Anantnag on a particular date, the police put us under house arrest in Jammu for five days,” Mir said. “A DyPS rank officer conveyed us verbally the orders of the ADGP that we have been restricted to our homes.”
Mir said he had filed a petition before the High Court on October 16 challenging the government’s directions conveyed to me verbally. “The High Court issued a notice to the government and it has not been responded by the government so far. The next gearing of the case is on March 17,” Mir said.
Mir alleged that he is not the only Congressman who has been restricted. “Prof Saifuddin Soz is restricted to his home and was once permitted to go on a medical check-up in Delhi,” Mir said. “Peerzada Sayeed has very recently been permitted to come to see his doctor in Jammu and he is on medical leave and doing no political activity. Taj Mohiuddin has also been permitted to see his doctor in Jammu and is restricted to Jammu city.”
The problem, Mir said, is that Congress worker Gulzar Ahmad is restricted to the housing colony in Anantnag and is not being permitted to visit the town. “Recently when Abdul Rasheed Dar passed away, Gulzar pleaded with the administration that he should be permitted to drive to his home, barely 3 km away but was not permitted,” Mir alleged. “It is the height of things that we could not mourn the death of a leader who headed the legislative body.”
