President Mid-Air As Jammu And Kashmir Report Sent, Sign-Off Came At 6 am

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind was on a flight to Suriname - the second leg of his three-nation tour - when Governor NN Vohra sent his report late last night recommending central rule for Jammu and Kashmir, hours after a shock collapse of the government. The President arrived in Suriname at around 3 am IST; his approval for Governor's Rule was conveyed to the Union Home Ministry by 6 am.

"After concluding his consultations with all the major political parties, the Governor has forwarded his report to the President for imposition of Governor's rule under Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir," a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said last night in Srinagar. This is the fourth time in a decade that the northernmost state has been placed under the Governor's rule.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, saying it was "untenable" to continue because of security concerns and rising terrorism.

"Terrorism, violence and radicalisation have risen and fundamental rights of the citizens and free speech are in danger in the Valley," BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

"Keeping in mind the larger national interest and that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, we have decided it is time that the reins of power in the state be handed over to the Governor," he had said.

Mehbooba Mufti resigned as the chief minister soon after the BJP announced its decision to pull out of the coalition. The BJP's decision to withdraw support had caught her by surprise, suggested the leaders of her People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday. She was in her office when she received a phone call from Governor NN Vohra. The BJP, her coalition partner of three years, was not the one to inform her of the break-up.

(With inputs from PTI)