The police in Jammu and Kashmir detained an independent legislator on Thursday during a protest march in Srinagar in support of Article 35A of the Constitution, PTI reported. The article grants special rights and privileges to permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, and the Supreme Court is considering petitions challenging its constitutional validity.
Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, the MLA from Kupwara’s Langate constituency, was detained along with some of his supporters from the Awami Ittehad Party. The protestors had assembled near the Sher-e-Kashmir park in Srinagar and marched towards Lal Chowk, according to an unidentified police official. They were shouting slogans in favour of Article 35A and in support of Muslims living in the state’s Jammu region.