Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad stopped at Jammu airport, sent back to Delhi

Azad, according to party spokesperson Abdul Rashid Choudhary, was to attend a function organized by the party as part of country wide celebrations in connection with 75th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The local Congress workers, who had assembled outside the Jammu airport, left much earlier following news that Azad may be sent back to Delhi in the next flight.

The senior Congress leader has been stopped at an airport for second time this month. On August 8, Azad, also a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was stopped at the Srinagar International airport and sent back to Delhi by the local administration.

With the security lockdown continuing in most parts of the Valley, primary schools re-opened for the first time on Monday, in over a fortnight since Jammu and Kashmir was placed under an unprecedented security blanket. Teachers reported to work across Kashmir as restrictions were eased yesterday, but classrooms were empty with most students staying away.