Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday visited ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami in Srinagar, PTI reported.

Tarigami has been under house arrest in the city since August 5, when the Centre revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir, and split it into two Union Territories. The government has restricted public movement and imposed a communications blackout. However, according to reports, mobile phone services have been restored in five districts of Jammu.

Yechury’s visit came a day afer the Supreme Court, which heard a batch of petitions challenging the Centre’s decisions, permitted him and a law student to travel to the state. The CPI(M) leader’s petition in the top court had challenged Tarigami’s detention. The government’s counsel, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, had argued that Yechury’s visit might endanger the law-and-order situation in the state. Yechury had tried to visit Srinagar earlier this month too but was sent back to Delhi.

After he arrived in the city on Thursday afternoon, Yechury was escorted by the police to meet Tarigami at his Gupkar Road residence in the Civil Lines area. Administration officials said Yechury spent close to three hours with his party colleague.

“The Supreme Court has permitted me to go to Srinagar and see Com Yousuf Tarigami and ‘report’ back to them on the condition of his health,” Yechury had tweeted on Wednesday. “Once I meet him, return and report to the Court, I will make a more detailed statement.”

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