Omar says ‘Kashmir model exported to Delhi’, Mehbooba sees Valley-like restrictions

JK Newsline October 10, 2026 2 min read

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday took a swipe at the authorities over restrictions in New Delhi ahead of a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party and other student unions, saying the “Kashmir model” had been exported to the national capital. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also drew parallels with the restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

Reacting to reports of detention of several youths demanding resignation of the chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged bunglings in deleting people from the voter list, internet restrictions and curbs on public movement in Delhi, Omar wrote on X, “Kashmir model has been exported to Delhi. Welcome to the New Delhi, modelled on New Jammu & Kashmir.” Mehbooba, in a separate statement, alleged that the restrictions reflected a pattern of suppressing protests and subsequently claiming that no dissent had taken place.

After submitting a memorandum yesterday to President Draupadi Murmu by leaders of the India bloc, Omar Abdullah had sought resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Omar joined the INDIA bloc leaders in meeting the President.

He said that the “Delimitation exercise in J&K before the Assembly elections was designed to subvert democracy. We have been the first victims of vote chori.” He blasted the ECI “for its complicity in rigging elections”.

PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti in a post on X said “Today’s Delhi is a chilling reminder of Kashmir after the unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370. People were locked in their homes, the internet was shut down, and an entire region was placed under siege. The BJP then brazenly claimed that nobody had protested”.

“Today, with Delhi under siege, trains halted and roads to Jantar Mantar sealed, they may repeat the same lie, claiming that nobody protested against Gyanesh Kumar”, she said.

“First crush the protest, then deny it ever happened. This is how enforced silence is passed off as consent”, Mehbooba added.