Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s latest photograph wearing a woollen cap and sporting a long white beard surfaced on social media on Saturday, and went viral.
Omar is seen smiling with snow in the backdrop. The photo has a retro touch to it. According to sources, the photograph is genuine.
While some liked that the NCP leader was “still smiling” and liked his new get-up, others sympathised with him and tweeted, “Although I have huge political differences with the NC and Omar Abdullah, I cannot but condemn his continuous detention.”
Besides prominent journalists like Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi condemning Abdullah’s detention, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also retweeted the photo with the caption, “I could not recognise Omar in this picture. Am feeling sad,” said Banerjee in a tweet. “Unfortunate that this is happening in our democratic country. When will this end?”
The National Conference leader, who has been on detention since August 5, when Article 370 was abrogated in the state, appears to have not shaved since.
In October, a different photo of Omar had surfaced, in which he was sporting a smaller beard.
Three former chief ministers have been in detention in the valley since August 5. Omar’s father Farooq Abdullah has been kept at his Gupta Road residence in Srinagar.
Earlier there were reports that Omar, who has been kept in Hari Niwas, would be moved to a home on Gupta Road, but that has not happened.
Mehbooba Mufti, too, has been kept in a government building on M.A. Road.
(with inputs from agencies)
