NEW DELHI: Photograph of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who has been under detention for the last 173 days has gone viral on social media platforms.
After mobile data services and internet were restored in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, the first picture of the 49-year-old former chief minister was shared in the public domain after five months of captivity.
A beanie-wearing photograph of usually clean-shaven Omar Abdullah can be seen smiling and sporting a long salt-and-pepper beard in snow-clad background.
Abdullah has been under preventive detention along with his father and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah since August 4, a day before the Centre announced the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution
Unrecognisable
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to her Twitter handle and wrote:
“I could not recognise Omar in this picture. Am feeling sad,” said Banerjee in a tweet. “Unfortunate that this is happening in our democratic country. When will this end?”
Very disturbing
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury also tweeted saying, a “very disturbing fact” about the government.
The Twitterati reacted differently to the new photo that has been widely circulated on social media.
The central government has placed almost all the prominent political leaders of Kashmir from different parties under detention including former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti.