Kashmir: Sitaram Yechury reaches Srinagar, whisked away to meet Tarigami amid tight security

Jammu, Aug 29: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury reached Jammu and Kashmir to meet his party colleague and former MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami.

Armed with the Supreme Court's permission, the CPM General Secretary reached Srinagar this morning to inquire about the health of his party colleague Tarigami.

Soon after landing, he was whisked away in a VIP entourage of more than seven cars to take him to Tarigami's residence.

The CPIM leader's visit comes a day after a three-judge Bench of the Supreme court granted permission to Sitaram Yechury to visit the Kashmir Valley. The apex court also allowed Mohammed Aleem Sayed, a Kashmiri lawyer who studies in New Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University, to meet his parents. He had not been able to visit Kashmir since the lockdown.

In a letter to J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik, Yechury said the apex court has asked him to go to Kashmir and visit his colleague Mohd. Yusuf Tarigami and file an affidavit on his return to the court detailing his health condition.

Meanwhile, Mobile phone services were restored on Thursday in five districts of Jammu division -- Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch. The 2G mobile internet services were earlier revamped in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi districts, officials said.

On Wednesday, poor attendance was marked as several high schools reopened in Srinagar, Kashmir, amid heavy lockdown in the new Union Territory. The government started reopening of schools on August 19, however, since then a very thin attendance was marked due to severe restrictions and sporadic incidents of violence in the Valley.

The Kashmir Valley has been under strict restrictions since the Narendra Modi-led government announced the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories-Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Schools were open in the Valley, however, poor attendance was marked on Wednesday, as parents were wary of sending their children to schools due to lack of transport and communication services.