Many of thousands of people including politicians, activists and common people who were detained in Indian-administered Kashmir after the Indian government revoked special status of Jammu and Kashmir last month were moved to jails outside the state.
In northern Indian city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, many Kashmiri families have been visiting the city just to meet their near and dear ones lodged in jail.
According to local sources, 292 people from Jammu and Kashmir have been lodged in different jails of Uttar Pradesh.
85 of them are in Agra jail. According to jail authorities, those lodged in jail in Agra include politicians, students, Islamic preachers and businessmen, police official said.
They were transferred under high-security observation, and traffic route diversions were made.
Meanwhile, Kashmiris are struggling to meet loved ones in Indian jails.
Ishtiaq Ahmed came all the way from Kashmir to meet his 42-year-old son. He travelled from Srinagar to New Delhi and from there to Agra. He had a meeting for almost 20 minutes with his son.
Hameeda Begum described her arduous journey from the Himalayan region of Indian-administered Kashmir to the hot and humid room in Agra Central Jail in northern Uttar Pradesh state, where the exhausted 70-year-old was waiting to see her son.
A man in his early twenties offered her a bottle of water, saying, “Don’t lose hope. You are not alone.”
Hameeda drew a long sigh, placed her hand on the man’s hand and spoke in a barely audible voice: “May God give us patience.”
It is possible that more prisoners could be brought in. Their families, after due verification, will be allowed to meet them in the coming weeks. No other changes have been made in the prison to accommodate them.
