MP says Kashmiris familiar with restrictions, slams curbs on Delhi protests
Srinagar: Srinagar Lok Sabha member Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has criticised the heavy deployment of Indian forces and restrictions imposed in New Delhi to prevent protesters from gathering at Jantar Mantar, saying such measures do not reflect well on democracy.
Ruhullah made the remarks as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a demonstration demanding the resignation of Indian Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over irregularities in voter-list revision.
In a post on his official account on X, the MP said the restrictions were familiar to people from Kashmir but warned against their normalisation across India.
“Heavy forces in the heart of India’s capital to stop citizens reaching Jantar Mantar. This does not speak well of a democracy. Being from Kashmir, none of this is strange to me. We don’t cherish it. We warn: this is what happens in Kashmir. Don’t let it happen to India,” he said.
The CJP had called the protest over manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and irregularities involving Form 6, used for voter registration. The party demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, accusing him of overseeing the irregularities.
Delhi authorities imposed extensive restrictions, while police detained opposition leaders, activists, lawyers, journalists and other demonstrators attempting to reach the protest site. More than 7,000 people were detained across the capital, according to media reports.
Ruhullah’s comments drew a comparison between the restrictions imposed during the Delhi demonstration and the curbs experienced by people in Kashmir.
