Srinagar: Scores of political leaders affiliated with different political parties who faced detention at Centaur Hotel here in Kashmir Capital Srinagar have started throwing light on what actually was happening inside the makeshift jail. Authorities have released dozens of these political leaders but majority of them have been placed under house arrest.
A couple of politicians, who spent time at the Centaur Hotel, said almost all the leaders believed that Centaur Hotel where they had been lodged is a haunted one. Some of them were so terrified during the night that they never slept with electric bulbs off.
A couple of political leaders talked to Kashmir News Trust on condition of anonymity. They said majority of the incarcerated leaders believed that this place is haunted and a spirit (djinn) wandered in the rooms.
“I like many held in the Centaur, also came to believe the Centaur Hotel was haunted and many could not sleep out of fear of the spirit. I also felt (a djinn) in my room once. I could see some dark shadow on the wall, of a man, a huge man. Then I switched on the light and kept it on whole night. There was a lot of talk that there was a djinn, some said the djinn did not let them sleep,” said a leader who has been released by authorities now.
“May be we were depressed, feeling humiliated and this might have been the cause of anxiousness and fear. We used to talk during the day what we were experiencing in the night, talking about the dijnn and tough time they were facing,” he added.
These released politicians said that to pass the time, they read and discussed religious and political books, played cards and prayed but had never been allowed outside. “There was a sense of defeat. “I saw one political leader crying several times because it was very humiliating. Food was very bad,” said a released politician.
“We were never allowed to touch the grass but were confined to our rooms. It was worse than a jail. There were some among us who were greedy readers. A young politician was always immersed in books. It was also a time for introspection and we introspected. I don’t know what will be future course of action of these leaders, but one thing is sure that the felt humiliation at core.” (KNT)
