5,000 preventive arrests in J&K since Article 370 move; 609 still in jail

Over 5,000 preventive arrests have been made in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5 when the Centre announced abrogation of Article 370 provisions, and 609 of them are still in custody, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Nobody has died in police firing since August 5, but 197 people have been injured in law and order incidents, he said.

"With a view to prevent commission of offences involving breach of peace, maintenance of the public order and activities prejudicial to the security of the state, 5,161 preventive arrests, including stone pelters, miscreants, over ground workers, separatists and political workers, were made since August 5, 2019, in Kashmir Valley," the Union minister of state for home said.

"Out of these, 609 people are presently under detention and out of which approximately 218 are stone pelters," he said in reply a written question.

Among those who continue to be under detention include three former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir -- Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

Reddy said adequate security personnel are deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for augmenting the security of counter insurgency grid, strengthening the internal security and maintaining law and order.

"It has been reported by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir that essential services are functioning normally in the Valley," he said.

The minister said as per the report of the government of Jammu and Kashmir, since August 5, 2019, no person has died due to police firing in law and order incidents.

"During this period, 197 persons have been injured in law and order related incidents. During the same period, three security force personnel and 17 civilians have been killed in terror-related incidents while 129 persons got injured," he said.

Replying to another question, Reddy said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered from terrorist violence and separatism supported from across the border for the past many decades.

"On account of Article 35A and certain other constitutional provisions, the people of this region were denied full rights enshrined in the Constitution of India and the benefits of various central laws that were being enjoyed by other citizens of the country. As a result, full economic potential of the region could not be realised by the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions for the last 70 years," he said.

The minister said after the declaration issued by the president under Article 370, based on the recommendation of Parliament and reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh, all such aspects have been addressed and the people of Jammu and Kashmir can now realise full potential in all sectors of economy like in other parts of the country.

"Due to these recent decisions, certain precautionary measures taken initially have already been substantially relaxed. There is no specific report received from the Government of Jammu and Kashmir regarding any new losses on account of such preventive steps taken as a short-term measure," Reddy said.

Under the Rs 80,068 crore prime minister's development package announced on November 7, 2015, 63 major development projects in road, power, health, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, skill development sectors, etc., are under various stages of implementation, he said.

In addition to the above steps, many flagship schemes of the Centre, including the individual beneficiary centric schemes, are being proactively implemented by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

No life lost, no bullet fired after Article 370 move, govt tells SC

Justifying restrictions imposed in Jammu & Kashmir after the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, the Centre said on Thursday that neither a single life was lost, nor a single bullet fired, as a consequence of the preventive steps taken.

Attorney General K K Venugopal told the apex court that instead of questions, the government should be “congratulated” for effectively handling of the situation in the erstwhile state after the “historic” and “unparalleled” decision of August 5.

He told a Bench headed by Justice N V Ramana that had internet services been allowed after August 5, then with one click of a button, 10,000 messages could have been sent to thousands of separatists or other militant leaders to congregate, which could have resulted in chaos and massive incidents of violence.

“It is the past record which is being taken into account before taking any precautionary steps. The record shows series of terrorist incidents in the state. In July, 2016, three dreaded terrorist including Burhan Wani were killed in an encounter following which restrictions were imposed for three months in the state. At that time not a single case was filed but now 20 petitions have been filed,” Venugopal said.

Responding to the petitions filed by Anuradha Bhasin, editor of Kashmir Times, and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, he said: “What happened on August 5 is something which is unparalleled in the history of the country in the past 70 years.”

He told the Bench that “Government of India should be congratulated for dealing with the situation in this manner. Not a single life was lost and not a single bullet fired”.

Referring to violence in the Valley, the Attorney General said that for the past so many years, terrorists were being pushed through from across the border, local militants and separatist organisation had held the civilians captive and it would have been “foolish” if steps weren’t taken.

Shah dares Rahul to declare Cong will restore Art 370 in J&K

Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to declare that his party will restore provisions of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir if voted to power.

Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra's tribal Nandurbar district, Shah said that after Narendra Modi won a second term with a massive mandate in May this year, the first thing he did was to abrogate provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

"Due to the special provisions, Pakistan fomented terror in the state and over 40,000 people died," he said.

Accusing the Congress of not having national interest in mind, Shah said the party was only interested in protecting its vote bank.

"Rahul Gandhi says what is the connection of Article 370 in Maharashtra. I dare him to declare that if voted to power, his party would restore the provisions of Article 370. There is still one day to go for the assembly elections," he said.

Phones ring in Kashmir after 70 days as postpaid mobile services restored

Services of all post paid mobile phones were resumed on Monday across the Kashmir Valley after remaining suspended since August 5 when Article 370 was abrogated.

There was a general sense of relief among the people around 12 noon when parents, relatives and friends started seeking welfare from each other after remaining cut off for over 70 days.

"It is a great sense of relief. Looks like we have suddenly again been catapulted from the stone age into the present times," said Bashir Ahmed rather jovially as his mobile phone started ringing in the Srinagar city.

A top official told IANS: "Since the mobile phones have started working again in the valley, we hope the anxieties of parents, professionals and the business community have been addressed."

The official said it is hoped that after the resumption of mobile phones, parents will find it easy to send their children to schools, colleges and universities.

"We hope phone connectivity will also address the problems of the transport operators in the valley.

"This was one of biggest issues raised by the transport operators in their meetings with us regarding resumption of public transport in the Valley," the officer added.

People were seen using mobile phones on roads, market places, inside offices and banks talking to each other and expressing satisfaction over the administrative decision.

"Communication would be fully restored once the internet services are resumed on both fixed landline and the mobile phones.

"Resuming mobile phones without the internet is only half of the good job done. We expect resumption of internet in the Valley as the next logical step," said Zubair, a scholar in the University of Kashmir.

SC sets up Constitution bench to hear pleas against Article 370 abrogation

The Supreme Court on Saturday set up a five-judge Constitution bench head by Justice N V Ramana to hear a batch of pleas related to abrogation of Article 370 provisions that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

From the beginning of next month, the bench will commence hearing to examine the constitutional validity of the scrapping of the article's provisions and the subsequent presidential orders on it, an official source said.

While referring to the batch of petitions to the Constitution bench, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi in August had said the larger bench will commence hearing on the issue in the first week of October.

Several petitions have been filed challenging the Centre's decision abrogating the Article 370 provisions and bifurcating the state into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The UTs will come into being on October 31.

Petitions have also been filed by the National Conference, the Sajjad Lone-led Peoples Conference and several other individuals, including the first plea filed by advocate ML Sharma.

Besides the bench for hearing Article 370 matters, the apex court has also constituted a three-judge bench for hearing matters on capital punishment and two other benches, comprising two judges each, to hear tax matters.

US lawmakers urge PM Modi to lift communications blackout in Kashmir

Indian-American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal along with 13 other US Congressmen have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address concerns over the human rights situation in Kashmir and lift the communications blackout.

A statement, addressed to Prime Minister Modi, was issued jointly by Congressmen Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr, Judy Chu, Pramila Jayapal, Carolyn Maloney, Gerald Connolly, Ilhan Omar, Barbara Lee, Al Green, Zoe Lofgren, Andy Levin, Mike Levin, James P. McGovern, Jan Schakowsky, and Katie Porter.

"On behalf of thousands of families across the country who have been unable to contact family in Jammu and Kashmir, we are urging Prime Minister Modi to lift the communications blackout and address the ongoing humanitarian concerns," the lawmakers said in the joint statement.

Restrictions were imposed when New Delhi had on August 5 scrapped the state's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated in into Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Asserting that the abrogation of Article 370 of its Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status was its "internal matter", India has defended imposition of restrictions in the Kashmir Valley on the grounds that they were put to prevent Pakistan from creating more mischief through proxies and terrorists.

"India is an important US partner and the world's largest democracy. As such, we hope that the Government of India will demonstrate leadership and lift these restrictions. The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve the same rights as any other citizen of India," the statement said.

The joint statement, the lawmakers said, is in response to the imposition of media blackout starting August 5, leaving millions in Jammu and Kashmir without access to mobile phones or the internet while many others have been detained.

"As a result, family members in the United States and elsewhere have had no ability to contact loved ones in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to concerns about their welfare," said the statement, the lead in which was taken by Congressman Cisneros, who is a Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and an Executive Board Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

The restrictions in Kashmir have been lifted in phases from many parts of the Valley as the situation improved with passage of time.

Normal life remained affected in Kashmir as main markets and other business establishments continued to remain closed for the 54th consecutive day on Friday.

Mobile services remained suspended in Kashmir except in Handwara and Kupwara areas in the north, while Internet services -- across all platforms - continued to be snapped in the Valley.

Kashmir: A month later, shopkeepers refuse to open, even as curbs are eased

A month after the government withdrew Article 370 and locked Kashmir down with thousands of additional troops and made mass arrests, residents are resisting attempts by authorities to show some signs of normalcy returning in the valley.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked special rights for Jammu and Kashmir on Aug 5, striking down the long-standing constitutional provisions for the Himalayan region.

To dampen the possibility of widespread protests, India flooded the state — already one of the world’s most militarised zones — with troops, imposed severe restrictions on movements, and cut all telephone, mobile phone and internet connections. Thousands of people were arrested.

The Centre has since eased some of the curbs, although no prominent detainees have been freed and mobile and internet connections remain suspended. Officials in Srinagar say that 90 per cent of the Kashmir valley is free of restrictions on daytime movement, some landline phone connections have been restored and thousands of schools have re-opened. However, checkpoints remain in place and communication restrictions make reporting from the region difficult.

Despite the partial relaxation, many students are boycotting classes, shopkeepers are not opening up and public and private sector employees are not turning up for work, in informal action aimed at protesting against the government, according to interviews with seven government officials and dozens of residents of the valley.

“For us, our identity at stake and its safeguarding is our priority,” said Shabir Ahmad, a shopkeeper from the old quarter of Srinagar.

“Let them restore it and we will re-start our businesses.”

SC refers all petitions on Article 370 to 5-judge Constitution Bench

Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday referred all petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, to a five-judge Constitution Bench.

The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre and others and said that the five-judge Constitution Bench would hear all the petitions related to abrogation of Article 370 in the first week of October.

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 Supreme Court issues notice to Centre and others and says that a five-judge Constitution Bench will hear all the petitions related to abrogation of Article 370, in the first week of October.

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The apex court also issued a notice to the Centre on the plea by Kashmir Times Executive Editor, Anuradha Bhasin, seeking a direction for relaxing restrictions on internet, landline, and other communication channels. The SC sought a detailed response from the Centre within 7 days.

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 Supreme Court also issued a notice to the Centre on the plea by Kashmir Times Executive Editor, Anuradha Bhasin, seeking a direction for relaxing restrictions on the internet, landline, & other communication channels. SC sought a detailed response from the Centre within 7 days. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1166582440921616384 …

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Supreme Court issues notice to Centre and others and says that a five-judge Constitution Bench will hear all the petitions related to abrogation of Article 370, in the first week of October.

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Further, the Supreme Court refused a request from the Centre to appoint an interlocutor for Jammu & Kashmir.

In another development, the Supreme Court also allowed CPM leader Sitaram Yechury to visit J&K and meet his party leader and former MLA, Yousuf Tarigami.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi said, "We will permit you to go, you are the general secretary of a party. Don't go for anything else." The apex court also said that Yechury's visit should only be to meet Tarigami as a friend, and not for any political purpose.

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 Supreme Court allows CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury to visit J&K and meet his party leader and former MLA, Yousuf Tarigami. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi said "We will permit you to go, you are the general secretary of a party. Don't go for anything else" https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1166578874047766531 …

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Supreme Court starts hearing a batch of petitions questioning the validity of the Central Government's decision to remove special status of Jammu & Kashmir and abrogating #Article370.