Omar's photo points to very disturbing fact about govt: Yechury

After an almost unrecognizable photograph of detained former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah surfaced online on Saturday, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said it pointed to a "very disturbing fact" about the government. "This picture points to a very disturbing fact about the central government. A former CM, who is also a former Union minister, has been detained for months without any charge. And he and his party have been the biggest votaries of India," Yechury said, retweeting a post that had Abdullah's photograph.

Abdullah is among the three former chief ministers of the erstwhile state who continue to be in custody since August 5 when the Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and divided it into two union territories. This is the first picture of the 49-year-old Abdullah in the public domain after five months of captivity. It showed him smiling in a snow-covered jacket and sporting an unkempt salt-and-pepper beard.

The photograph triggered reactions of awe and anger among netizens, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.