Three Left MPs to visit Tarigami in Srinagar next week

The Jammu and Kashmir government has allowed three Left MPs to visit CPI(M) leader Yousuf Tarigami in Srinagar but said their request for meeting former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, who are in detention, will be regulated as per the provisions of the jail manual.

The three Rajya Sabha MPs -- CPI(M)'s T K Rangarajan and Elamaram Kareem as well as CPI's Binoy Viswam -- said they will be visiting Srinagar next week after giving prior information to the administration.

They had last week written to Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra seeking permission to visit Srinagar next week to meet the three leaders to check about their health and have a "friendly talk with them". The Rajya MPs referred to the controversial "private" visit of 27 Members of the European Parliament to Kashmir earlier in the letter sent on Thursday and addressed to Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra.

Responding to their joint letter, Kalra said advance intimation should be given in view of the "prevailing security situation so as to ensure adequate and appropriate measures" for them but said meeting those detained under Public Safety Act will be regulated as per applicable provisions.

The letter said Farooq was placed under detention under Public Safety act while Omar is under arrest as per Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and both have been "allowed visitation as per the jail manual by the District Magistrate, Srinagar".

The health of the Abdullahs was being monitored on a daily basis and all medical facilities were made available without any delay.

On "Z+ protectee" Tarigami, it said there are no restrictions on the CPI(M) leader's movement to any place apart from those necessitated by the security situation and requirements of maintenance of law and order.

"We believe that it will not be difficult for 3 Members of Indian Parliament to get permission for visiting the region. We hope you will be granting necessary permission for our visit to Kashmir and facilitate the meeting without colleagues in the coming week," they said while referring to the controversial "private" visit of 27 Members of the European Parliament to Kashmir earlier.

Several Opposition leaders who attempted to visit Kashmir after the scrapping of special status were not allowed to go out of Srinagar airport raising criticism. Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Sharad Yadav and Ghulam Nabi Azad others were earlier denied permission to enter Kashmir.

The MHA had said the visit by MEPs were facilitated as part of a familiarisation visit at the invitation of a Delhi-based think-tank International Institute for Nonaligned Studies (IINS). In its justification of the MEPs' visit, it said meetings were facilitated for them as has been "done previously on familiarisation visits" for the delegation.