As the abrogation of Article 370 dissolving of the state of Jammu and Kashmir completes one year on Wednesday, five Left parties urged the Centre to release all political prisoners immediately. The parties demanded full restoration of communication facilities in the State.

Left leaders such as Sitaram Yechury and D Raja said in a joint statement that last year, the Narendra Modi government made many tall promises about what abrogation would accomplish and how it would benefit India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Meanwhile, many warned that the Modi regime’s tyranny in Kashmir would soon be a blueprint for the whole of India. A year later, the government’s promises stand exposed betraying the people of J&K who continue to be caged and silenced. The challenges to the abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) of the Constitution are still pending before the Supreme Court,” they said.

The Left parties demanded that all those detained since August 2019 must be released, full communications must be restored and the free movement of people allowed. “This is essential for both combating the pandemic effectively and upholding Constitutional guarantees on democratic rights and civil liberties while providing relief to the beleaguered people,” they said.

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