[Watch] 5 Yrs To Scrapping Of Article 370: Know Why It’s ‘Dry Day’ In J&K Today

Jammu: In view of the fifth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, security forces across the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir were put on high alert on Monday.

The police have advised people to observe a ‘dry day’, meaning that there will be no movement of any security convoys on the day.

Cops have also banned the movement of convoys of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims between various base camps. No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to leave from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp towards Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the BJP has started a ‘Ekatma Mahatsav’ rally to celebrate the ‘complete unification’ of J&K into the Indian union. It is being conducted at Bana Singh Stadium in R S Pura. Security has been beefed up for the event. Celebrations were also organised in Ladakh.

“On this vital day five years ago, a historic blunder was corrected and we, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, united completely with the rest of India,” J-K BJP general secretary and former MLC, Vibodh Gupta, said, according to a Hindustan Times report.

PM Modi tweets

“Today we mark 5 years since the Parliament of India decided to abrogate Articles 370 and 35(A), a watershed moment in our nation’s history. It was the start of a new era of progress and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. It meant that the Constitution of India was implemented in these places in letter and spirit, in line with the vision of the great men and women who made the Constitution. With abrogation came security, dignity and opportunity for the women, youth, backward, tribal and marginalised communities who were deprived of the fruits of development. At the same time, it has ensured that corruption, which plagued J&K for decades, has been kept at bay. I assure the people of J&K and Ladakh that our Government will keep working for them and fulfil their aspirations in the coming times,” Prime Minister Modi wrote on X.

PDP, Congress marks ‘black day’

But, opposition parties like the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have slammed the BJP over the abrogation of Article 370.

“What was achieved in five years, the BJP should answer to the people, especially Dogras, instead of rubbing salts on their wounds,” J-K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, told HT. The Congress has dubbed it as a ‘black day.’

Meanwhile, PDP is also observing a “black day” by staging a protest outside the party headquarters in Srinagar.

“While BJP continues its charade of orchestrating ‘celebrations’ to mark the illegal revocation of J&Ks special status , PDP successfully protested against the same in Jammu. This was remarkable given that attempts were made to foil these protests. Serves well to expose BJPs false claims of normalcy in J&K,” PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti, wrote on X.