Opinion Manhandling, house arrest of CM Omar Abdullah are an act of disrespect

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, Omar Abdullah, the first elected Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, condemned the heinous act and expressed solidarity, in a way that was both empathetic and striking, with the families of the 26 tourists who were killed . He called a special one-day session of the Assembly. The gesture emphasised that the people of J&K participated in the nation’s grief, and endorsed the diplomatic measures announced by the Centre. As CM this time, Omar Abdullah has been seen to avoid a confrontationist tone with the Centre and its powerful nominee, the L-G. J&K’s ruling coalition has not insisted on the restoration of special status — it has pressed the demand for statehood, which both the Centre and the Supreme Court have promised. But even as Omar Abdullah has shown accommodation and flexibility, the Centre seems to be taking backward steps. Visuals of CM Abdullah being placed under de facto house arrest by an unelected administration on Martyrs’ Day, July 13, and of him being manhandled by police personnel, are unseemly and deeply disturbing.

Martyrs’ Day has both historical and political significance. It marks the killing of 22 protestors by the Dogra monarch’s police in 1931. Sheikh Abdullah, his successors, separatists and even leaders in PoK and Pakistan have invoked the moment for political ends. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the holiday was scrapped by the J&K administration. The CM’s insistence on visiting the cemetery where those killed in 1931 are buried can be seen as a political statement — a way to distance himself from the Centre and the L-G. But why should that invite this bizarre spectacle of punishment choreographed by the L-G’s office, its strings evidently pulled by the Centre?

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The UT administration’s actions risk denting the people’s trust framed in the heartening turnout of 63.9 per cent in last year’s polls, among the highest in the region’s electoral history. The Centre has long claimed that, since August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state has made strides across sectors, including in law and order and security. It has made it clear that the question of statehood is not if but when. An overzealous Raj Bhavan, and its political masters at the Centre, should not undo the hard-won gains in the UT. It is now for the L-G’s office to make amends.