"Kashmir In Terrible Lockdown Within Lockdown": P Chidambaram

Understand the enormity of injustice faced by those in detention, P Chidambaram tweeted. (File)

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday questioned the role of the judiciary pointing to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the politicians who are living in a locked down state for nearly 10 months and hoped that the country would "understand the enormity of injustice faced by those in detention".

"As we began Lockdown 4.0 yesterday, my thoughts were with the people of Kashmir who are in a terrible Lockdown within a Lockdown. The worst sufferers are Mehbooba Mufti and her senior colleagues who are still in detention in a locked down state in a locked down country. They are deprived of every human right," the former union minister said in a series of tweets.

As we began Lockdown 4.0 yesterday, my thoughts were with the people of Kashmir who are in a terrible Lockdown within a Lockdown.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 19, 2020

Mr Chidambaram, who handled Jammu and Kashmir while being a cabinet minister also further took a dig at the courts stating, "I cannot believe that for nearly 10 months, the Courts will shirk their Constitutional duty to protect the human rights of citizens."

"At least now, people in the rest of India will understand the enormity of the injustice done to those who were detained and those who are still under detention," he added.

It should be noted that when the Central Government had diluted Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, some political leaders such as Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were taken into preventive custody under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

While Mr Farooq and Mr Omar were released after several months of detention, PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti continues to be in custody under PSA.