Top leaders in Indian Kashmir arrested

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India (AA) – Former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, have been arrested on Monday evening, said media reports.

According to broadcaster New Delhi Television (NDTV), Mehbooba Mufti has been taken from her home in Srinagar to a nearby government guest house. Omar Abdullah was also arrested.

Both the leaders had been placed under house arrest on Sunday night.

The Indian government had earlier in the day revoked the state's special status, provided under Article 370, via presidential order.

Mehbooba Mufti, chief of People’s Democratic Party, in her tweet in the morning called today the "darkest" in Indian democracy and accused the government of having "sinister" designs, reacting to the government's move of ending the state's special status and bifurcating it.

''Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy. Decision of J&K leadership to reject 2 nation theory in 1947 & align with India has backfired. Unilateral decision of GOI to scrap Article 370 is illegal & unconstitutional which will make India an occupational force in J&K," Mufti said.

Omar Abdullah in his statement in the morning said: “The scrapping of Articles 370 and 35A raise fundamental questions on the State's accession because that was done on the very terms enunciated in these Articles. The decisions are unilateral, illegal and unconstitutional and will be challenged as such by the National Conference. A long and tough battle lies ahead".