Kashmir, September 18: A man in Jammu and Kashmir has been running from pillar to post with an appeal to the administration to "release his son-in-law to be so that he can marry his daughter". On Tuesday Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the situation in Kashmir is peaceful and not a single bullet has been fired since August 5, the day he announced the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K. However, a News18 report has a different story to tell.

Nazir Ahmad Bhat, who belongs to the Baramulla district in north Kashmir, has been running helter-skelter after August 5 with a request to "Please release my son-in-law for his wedding." He has visited several newspaper offices after a relative suggested that an appeal in the newspaper may help his cause. Amit Shah Says ‘Situation in Kashmir Peaceful, No Life Lost After Abrogation of Article 370’.

Bhat's daughter's wedding was scheduled for September 8 and even the Nikahnama signing ceremony was done. While the family was making preparation for the big day, the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was stripped on August 5. Things changed after that, Bhat's son-in-law Tanveer Ahmad, who is a village sarpanch, was arrested and taken into preventive detention.

Post the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, detention of big names such as Farooq Abdullah by authorities grabbed headlines, but ordinary people like Nazir Ahmad Bhat have pleas of their own. The reason for their arrest as described by the authorities is that they are a threat to the public.

Bhat, with a sense of helplessness, told News 18 that not only his daughter but his entire family has been in distress after his son-in-law was taken away just days ahead of his wedding. The family has, for the time being, postponed the wedding plans and has decided to visit Ahmad in jail.

Communication lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir After Article 370 Abrogation

On August 5, the Narendra Modi government scrapped Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir with legislature and Ladakh without legislature.

The state was in a state of complete lockdown since, following the abrogation of Article 370, and all communication services in the region were blocked, including cellular network, landline, mobile internet, and broadband connectivity. The mobile phone services have now been resumed and high schools in the Kashmir Valley have also reopened, with restrictions being lifted.

Two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir - Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were put under detention since August 5 when the Centre revoked the provisions of Article 370.  Earlier this month, they were allowed to meet their families after a month since the Modi government made the 'historic' announcement. There have been various reports on the Kashmir issue after the abrogation of Article 370, while a section of the media reports that normalcy has been restored, there are other reports stating that things are not okay.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2019 02:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).