Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah arrested after scrapping of Article 370

New Delhi: Quick on the heels of Rajya Sabha giving the green signal to the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were arrested by security forces on Monday.

Both Mufti and Abdullah had been put under house arrest on Sunday night, following the imposition of Section 144 in the region. Both have vociferously opposed the scrapping of Article 370.

Mufti was rounded up by security forces and taken from her residence and shifted to Hari Niwas, a VVIP guest house.

Persons familiar with the development stated that while she “has not been arrested”, it was “preventive detention” to avoid any kind of political backlash and destabilization in the region, following the passage of the J&K Reorganization Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Mufti tweeted, “The overwhelming mandate that Modiji got had given us hope that like a statesman he too would tread the path taken by Vajpayeeji & reach out to people of J&K. What an utter betrayal of trust.”

Opposition leaders had caused a stir in the House, during the debate, over the midnight crackdown on both Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who had earlier been placed under house arrest.