[dropcap]S[/dropcap]OCIAL activist and Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey and his activist wife Arundhati Dhuru were put under house arrest in Lucknow on Sunday to prevent them from holding a protest dharna against the revocation of article 370 and communication blockade in Jammu and Kashmir.

The proposed protest ‘Stand for Kashmir’ was to be held on Sunday evening at the GPO Park, according to an IANS report.

“All of a sudden, police in four vans arrived at our house in the morning and told us that we cannot stage the dharna, because of prohibitory orders in the city. They said the prohibitory orders would be lifted after Independence Day. So I told them that we would stage the dharna after the orders are lifted. Yet, they are standing outside my house and no one is allowed to enter or leave the house,” Pandey was quoted as saying over the telephone.

His wife Arundhati Dhuru is the national convener of the National Alliance of People’s Movement.

Several activists, journalists and civil society members have slammed the UP government for their house arrest. Here is a collection of some Twitter reactions:

Crackdown on Democracy

Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey has been put up under house arrest in Lucknow@suneetadhar #DemocarcyUnderSiege @jsa_india https://t.co/KETmySmu7J — SarojiniSama (@SamaSarojini) August 11, 2019

Just heard Magsasay Award winner activist Sandeep Pandey has been put under house arrest in Lucknow. Rihai Manch President Advocate Md Shoyab is also being pressurised to call off this evening's programme to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir. #StandWithKashmiris — Dipankar (@Dipankar_cpiml) August 11, 2019

Strongly condemn Sandeep Pandey 's house arrest stopping him from going out and participate in a protest that was planned for today.#DemocracyUnderSeige — Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) August 11, 2019