New Delhi: Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, home minister Amit Shah said that the cabinet has decided to revoke Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which grants special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This has been a longstanding promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He then introduced a resolution saying that the state of J&K will be reorganised such that Ladakh is one union territory and Jammu and Kashmir another. “The union territory of Ladakh will be without legislature. Further, keeping in view the prevailing internal security situation fuelled by cross-border terrorism in the existing state of Jammu and Kashmir, a separate union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is being created. The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be with legislature.”
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which introduces these changes, has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The Centre’s plan envisions two separate lieutenant governors, one for Ladakh and one for J&K.
In parliament on Monday morning, opposition leaders tried to make their voices heard as speaker M. Venkaiah Naidu called upon home minister Amit Shah to table the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 “and other related laws” in the Rajya Sabha.
The J&K reservation Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha on July 1, will allow 10% reservation for economically weaker sections in educational institutions and public employment in the state.
When Shah began speaking in parliament, he said that he was introducing four Bills on Jammu and Kashmir. The first announcement was that the cabinet thinks that Article 370 of the constitution – which grants special status to the state – should be scrapped. The law, he argued, had allowed “three families to look J&K for decades”.
Shah’s announcement was met with loud protests from opposition leaders in the House.
Given that scrapping the Article is a constitutional amendment, it cannot be done away with by a presidential order alone. It needs to be passed by both houses of parliament with a two-thirds majority.
The Bahujan Samaj Party will support all of the the government’s resolutions, party MP Satish Chandra Mishra said. Other opposition leaders, however, held that the Centre was acting “surreptitiously”.
President Ram Nath Kovind has issued a presidential order on Jammu and Kashmir, exercising his power under Clause 1 of Article 370. This presidential order has done away sections under Article 35A, which gives the state’s government the power to define permanent residents and give them special rights and privileges with regard to employment, acquiring immovable property, scholarships and other forms of aid in the state.
Responding to the morning’s proceedings, former J&K chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said this was the “darkest day in Indian democracy”.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the BJP has “murdered” the constitution and India’s democracy.
BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, meanwhile, said this was a “glorious day”.
When Amit Shah was entering parliament, AFP journalist Prakash Singh took a zoomed in photograph of a document he was carrying. It said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the nation on August 7. It also said, “All party meeting to be announced, government prepared for possibility of violent disobedience in sections of uniformed personnels and enhanced security measures in states like UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala.”
Amid reports of cellular, internet, landline and cable TV services being snapped in many parts of the state and political leaders being placed under house arrest, dread had settled over Jammu and Kashmir.
The Union cabinet met at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Monday morning. The cabinet normally meets every Wednesday, and the reasons behind convening a meeting on Monday was not disclosed by the government before parliament. Home minister Amit Shah will reportedly be making an announcement in the Rajya Sabha at 11 am and in the Lok Sabha at 12 pm.
At the same time as the cabinet meeting, opposition leaders met in the parliament complex to discuss the situation.
Sources confirmed to the Indian Express that former state chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah have been placed under house arrest. PTI reported that Congress leader Usman Majid and CPI(M) MLA M.Y. Tarigami also claims to have been arrested around midnight.
Authorities clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Srinagar, which prohibits the assembly of more than four people at a time. “There shall be no movement of public and all educational institutions (in Srinagar district) shall remain closed,” PTI quoted an official order as saying. “Identity cards of essential services officials will be treated as movement passes wherever required.”
The authorities have also imposed night curfew in Kishtwar, Rajouri districts and Banihal area of Ramban district, PTI reported. Authorities in Jammu have also reportedly imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC in the district and banned all types of congregation.
As per the order, there will be no movement of public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed.
Just an hour before the curfew was imposed, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said that he has been informed that he and several mainstream leaders were going to be “detained” and that an “unofficial curfew” was about to begin.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also tweeted about the curfew. “Hearing reports about internet being snapped soon including cellular coverage. Curfew passes being issued too. God knows what awaits us tomorrow. It’s going to be a long night,” she said.
ANI confirmed internet services have been been partially shut down in the state.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted in response to Omar Abdullah’s post, saying that parliament is still in session an that “our voices will not be stilled”.
Union home minister Amit Shah held a meeting with top security officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and home secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday, PTI reported.
The state has been on edge for the past two weeks with additional paramilitary forces being deployed several thousand at a time. Additional paramilitary forces, which arrived in Kashmir in the past few days, have been deployed across the city and in other vulnerable areas of the Valley, officials reportedly said. Several checkpoints and barricades have been set up.
Barricades have been erected on many arterial roads, including the entry and exit points to Srinagar. Riot control vehicles have also been kept on standby in some areas where apprehension of law and order disturbances is more, officials added.
The Amarnath Yatra was also brought to an abrupt halt on Friday after the state government asked all pilgrims and tourists to leave the Valley in the wake of intelligence inputs of ‘specific terror threats’ to the pilgrimage.
The state is currently under President’s rule.
The developments in the state have launched much speculation about plans to modify the special status granted to the state under the constitution, strike down Article 35A or tinker with Article 370.
Just on Sunday, Yoga guru Ramdev demanded the withdrawal of Article 370, saying there should be “one constitution, one rule in the country”. He underlined his confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah would scrap the provision.
I assure you that there is no plan at any level to abrogate Article 35A this time. All what you are hearing are rumours being spread by some people with vested interests,” J&K governor Satya Pal Malik told reporters on July 31.
The Anantnag district administration, in view of “panic stocking”, ordered all fuel station dealers not to sell petrol or diesel without permission from the district magistrate or an authorised officer.
Various educational institutions in Kashmir Valley also directed their students to vacate hostels.
The authorities in Jammu and Udhampur district ordered closure of schools and colleges as precautionary measures. The University of Jammu will remain closed on Monday and all scheduled examinations have been postponed.
Source: https://thewire.in/security/kashmir-curfew-internet-house-arrest