Congress politician Saifuddin Soz on Thursday said that he has been house arrested in an unlawful manner since 5 August, when the Centre scrapped Article 370 and revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. He also added that the UT government has lied in the Supreme Court by saying he was not under detention.
A day after Supreme Court disposed of a petition by Saifuddin Soz’s wife over his “illegal detention”, wherein the government said that he was under no restrictions, the 83-year-old was stopped by the police as he tried to move out of his house in Srinagar. The veteran leader then talked from behind a wall, mounted by a wire around his residence.
Earlier, in the Supreme Court, the solicitor general revealed that Soz had traveled to Delhi. He also shared that Soz has continuosly been visiting relatives and others. The intention was to prove that the Congress leader hasn’t been under detention. If he were, he would not have been allowed to meet anyone or travel.
“What the Supreme Court was told is a blatant lie,” Soz said.
In an conversation with Indian Express, he was quoted as saying, “This (UT) government and the Central government took a position before the Supreme Court that I am a free man. I am not a free man. I have been under detention since August 5, 2019. If I am not under detention, why am I being stopped? I tried to move out twice yesterday and twice today.”
“It is for the Supreme Court to investigate why lies were put forth in the courtroom. It is also shameful that instead of grilling the government, a section of the press, whose interests are promoted by the Central government, said that my wife was lying.”
He also mentioned that he was prohibited from traveling.
Meanwhile, J&K police has said that following the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he was asked to approach the UT administration for travel permission. They further said that he has been wanting to travel to Delhi with his wife due to medical reasons but on security grounds, the local police will have to evaluate the request.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Congress has criticized the police action against Soz when they tried to step him out of his house following the government’s statement before the Supreme Court citing he has not been under house arrest.
