National Conference president Farooq Abdullah defended the house arrest of several political leaders, including his party's MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, stating they aimed to create "turmoil" rather than support the region's progress. The leaders were detained to prevent them from joining a student protest against the existing reservation policy. While Abdullah supported the administration's actions, other party members and PDP leaders criticized the detentions as a violation of democratic rights and expressed concern over the suppression of peaceful dissent.