The issue of security for ruling and Opposition leaders in Kashmir has taken a fresh turn with the lieutenant governor’s administration reportedly withdrawing protection from the National Conference headquarters in Srinagar, leaving chief minister Omar Abdullah and party leaders stunned.

Omar, reacting to a reporter’s query outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in Jammu about whether security has been scaled down, said it had been completely withdrawn.

“This is in itself quite surprising. Barely a week has passed since an attack on Mr Farooq Abdullah. That time (they) said it (attack) should not have happened and it was a matter of concern but as my colleague rightly remarked, Farooq Sahab visits the office two to three times a week. You have removed the security of that office,” he said after the issue rocked the Assembly.
“It will be good if we learn from the (LG) administration what the compulsion was
for that.”

Omar appeared helpless in the face of the LG administration’s decision, a telling sign of the diminished authority of the office of the chief minister, which headed the unified command before the abrogation of Article 370, with the army, paramilitary and police forces under its ambit.

Till late Tuesday evening, neither the LG office nor the police reacted to the claim.

The decision came days after Valley-based MLAs, from ruling and Opposition parties, said the administration had withdrawn their security escorts, leaving them vulnerable to possible attacks.