Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President, MK Stalin on Sunday demanded the release of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Chairperson Farooq Abdullah.
He was responding to news that Abdullah's detention has been extended by another three months under the Public Safety Act. The three-term chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir who is also a five-time parliamentarian, has been under detention since August 5, 2019. He would continue to remain at his residence which has been declared a sub-jail.
Taking to Twitter, Stalin wrote, "It is shameful to our democratic traditions and disrespectful to our Constitutional values that 82-year old Member of Parliament, Farooq Abdullah, former Chief Minister and Union Minister, is being held under Public Safety Act without any basis. I demand his immediate release!."
Several mainstream leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, including Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti have been put under house arrest following the abrogation of Article 370 in August that granted special powers to the region.
Earlier this month, Abdullah wrote a letter to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, expressing discontent over being kept under watch and said that he was not a 'criminal'.
Abdullah could not attend two sessions of Parliament due to the detention, with several leaders from Opposition parties demanding the MP be allowed to attend Parliament.
In light of the recent news, many other political leaders have also expressed criticism.
Former Minister of Finance, Yashwant Sinha wrote on Twitter that it was "a pity that Farooq Abdullah's custody has been extended by another 3 months'.
"He is more of a nationalist than most, certainly more than the PM of India who is out to destroy our country," he added.
"What is the evidence that Farooq Abdullah is a threat to public safety?' asked Congrss MP Shashi Tharoor.
He also questioned the detention of former BJP allies such as Mehbooba Mufti.
"Are we to accept arbitrary arrest in our democracy?" he asked on Twitter.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it a "very sad state of affairs" and called the move unconstitutional.
Following the news, Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's Twitter handle, which, following her detention, is now operated by her daughter Iltija, also took a jab at the Central government, saying that the "Normalcy roulette continues'.
(With inputs from ANI)
