Doda Abandoned Under Curfew, Blackout, Says PDP Youth Wing

SRINAGAR: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth wing on Friday accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for abandoning the people of Doda district amid curfew, internet blackout and flood-related distress.

At a press conference held at the PDP headquarters in Jammu, Youth President Aditya Gupta, General Secretary Youth (Chenab Valley) Tanveer Hussain, State Secretary Youth (Chenab Valley) Mohd Awais Chowdhary, and Additional Spokesperson Rajat Randhawa addressed the media on the prevailing situation in Doda.

Gupta said the crisis, which began as a spat between the Deputy Commissioner and an MLA, had escalated due to “repeated misuse of the Public Safety Act (PSA).” He alleged that harassment and detentions in the district had created fear and that the government had prioritised “a circus” over flood relief.

“People of Doda are locked in their homes under curfew and cut off by an internet blackout, yet the Chief Minister has chosen silence. There are no restrictions preventing him from visiting, but his absence shows he is not serious about the crisis,” Gupta said. He added that PDP President Mehbooba Mufti had expressed her desire to meet the people of Doda.

Gupta termed the situation “a grim reflection of the reality in Jammu and Kashmir post-abrogation,” warning that entire districts could be “turned into prisons overnight.” He said inaction by the elected leadership undermined democracy and destroyed faith in institutions.

Tanveer Hussain, who travelled from Doda, described how daily life had been paralysed and residents were cut off from all information. “Ordinary citizens are paying the price for a crisis they never created,” he said.

The PDP leaders concluded that the Doda crisis was not a law-and-order problem but “a misuse of authority to intimidate citizens.” They said curfews and internet shutdowns could not suppress the truth, and Abdullah’s silence exposed “weakness, incompetence, and lack of will to serve.”

Gupta later reiterated the charge in a social media post, saying, “Doda has been completely abandoned by the very government elected to protect its people. Instead, CM Omar Abdullah has chosen the comfort of silence over the responsibility of action. A leader who cannot stand with his people in their hour of need has no moral right to lead them.”