Media persons aggressively handled by Srinagar police, Congress claims citing reports

Citing reports that "media persons were aggressively handled by the Srinagar police", the Congress on Saturday said that the party condemned the "draconian measures against the media".

The Congress tweeted, "Reports are coming in of media persons being aggressively handled by the Srinagar police and blocked from meeting with Opposition leaders delegation. We strongly condemn these draconian measures against the media."

A delegation of parties including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday not allowed to go out of Srinagar airport and was sent back to Delhi.

The delegation comprising opposition parties like Congress, CPI, DMK, RJD, TMC, NCP and JD(S) visited the city in Jammu and Kashmir to see the ground reality days after the Centre abrogated Article 370.

Senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad Congress, Anand Sharma, Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Yadav, Manoj Jha, Majeed Memon, Tiruchi Shiva and D Raja were the part of the delegation which left from Delhi for Srinagar earlier in the day.

Before leaving from Delhi airport, the leaders insisted that they were only going to assess the ground realities and not for creating any disturbance.

After not being allowed to visit Srinagar, the Congress tweeted, "If the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "normal" as the government claims, why has the delegation of Opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi been sent back from Srinagar airport? What is the Modi govt trying to hide?"

After repealing of provisions of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, which granted it special status, several leaders in the Valley were put under house arrest as a precautionary measure by the Centre. The security was also heightened in the area after the Centre's decision to revoke Article 370.

Earlier this month, Parliament defanged the Article 370 also passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorgsation) Bill 2019, reorgzing the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with Assembly and Ladakh without legislature.

( With inputs from ANI )