Farooq Abdullah, 83, been charged with "disturbing public order."

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday termed the detention of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act (PSA) "blatant misuse of power" by the Centre.

"An old leader like Farooq Abdullah has been arrested, put under house arrest under PSA. This is nothing but a blatant misuse of power by the Modi government. It has violated the constitutional provisions. Such draconian methods have exposed the dictatorial attitude of government," Mr Gogoi told reporters in Delhi.

Attacking the Centre for its decisions on Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Gogoi said, "The situation of Jammu and Kashmir has deteriorated to such an extent that even the Supreme Court had to intervene and ask the government to take all measures to restore normalcy as early as possible."

He further added senior leaders of the nation like Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury seeking permission to visit Kashmir revealed the gravity of the situation.

Mr Gogoi urged the Centre to call an all-party meeting and not go against the wishes of the people from the region.

"The situation is so serious that the government of India should call an all-party meeting. I appeal to them not to ignore the voices of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We want the people of the region to enjoy all the freedom and rights that the people in the rest of India are enjoying," Mr Gogoi said.