Leaders put under house arrest ahead of student protest in Srinagar
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian authorities have placed political leaders under house arrest and deployed heavy contingents of police and paramilitary forces outside their residences ahead of a proposed student sit-in against the controversial reservation policy in Srinagar today.
According to Kashmir Media Service, heavy deployment of Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel was reported outside the residences of National Conference Member of Parliament Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Peoples Democratic Party leader and MLA Waheed Para, and former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu in Srinagar.
The leaders were scheduled to participate in a peaceful student sit-in demanding rationalisation of the reservation policy in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today. Earlier, MP Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, along with Waheed Para and others, had staged a protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence on December 23, seeking a fair and just reservation framework.
The office of MP Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi confirmed the presence of armed personnel outside his residence and questioned whether the move amounted to a pre-emptive crackdown aimed at silencing a peaceful, pro-student demonstration. In a post on social media platform X, the MP’s office said the authorities owed an explanation to the public, asserting that plans for the student sit-in would continue despite intimidation tactics.
Meanwhile, a close aide of Waheed Para stated that the Pulwama MLA had been placed under house arrest, terming the restriction a blatant attempt to weaponise state power to suppress dissent ahead of the protest.
Former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu also confirmed heavy deployment outside his residence, describing it as excessive and politically motivated. In a post on X, Mattu said the move was aimed at curbing voices demanding justice and reiterated his support for the students, asserting that repression could neither legitimise nor sustain unjust policies.
Photographs and CCTV footage circulating on social media showed police vehicles and armed personnel stationed outside the leaders’ homes late into the night. The student sit-in, expected to take place today (Sunday), is aimed at pressing for rationalisation of reservation quotas in the territory.
