Kashmir: Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah arrested hours after Article 370 'scrapped'

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who were placed under house arrest, have been arrested, officials said Monday. Besides Mufti and Abdullah, Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leaders Sajjad Lone and Imran Ansari have also been arrested. The arrest of Mufti and Abdullah, two mainstream leaders of Kashmir, has come hours after the Narendra Modi government striped the state of its special status.

Both Mufti and Abdullah have been opposing the Centre’s move to abrogate Article 370 from the Valley. They were put under house arrest with several other mainstream Kashmiri leaders on Sunday night ahead of the announcement to scrap the special status of Kashmir.

“Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy. Decision of J&K leadership to reject 2 nation theory in 1947 & align with India has backfired. Unilateral decision of GOI to scrap Article 370 is illegal & unconstitutional which will make India an occupational force in J&K,” Mufti had said after the government announced scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.

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Mufti said that India failed Kashmir and deceived its people by scrapping their “identity”. She warned of catastrophic consequences of the move. "It will have catastrophic consequences for the subcontinent. GOIs intentions are clear. They want the territory of J&K by terrorising its people. India has failed Kashmir in keeping its promises," she said.

In an unprecedented move that is likely to spark unrest in the Valley, the Narendra Modi government on Monday scrapped part of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also moved a resolution in the Lok Sabha for bringing a bill to reorganise the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh amid a walkout by opposition parties.