NEW DELHI: After an almost unrecognisable photograph of detained former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah surfaced online on Saturday, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said it pointed to a “very disturbing fact” about the government.
“This picture points to a very disturbing fact about the central government. A former CM, who is also a former Union minister, has been detained for months without any charge. And he and his party have been the biggest votaries of India,” Yechury said, retweeting a post that had Abdullah’s photograph.
Abdullah is among the three former chief ministers of the erstwhile state who continue to be in custody since August 5 when the Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and divided it in two union territories.
This is first picture of the 49-year-old Abdullah in public domain after five months of captivity. It showed him smiling in a snow covered jacket and sporting an unkempt salt-and-pepper beard.
The photograph triggered reactions of awe and anger among netizens, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
—PTI

Press Trust of India