How a four-star hotel in Indian-held Kashmir became a political prison

Until recently, the Centaur Lake View Hotel offered lavish suites and hosted political conferences that saw Kashmiri leaders defend India’s rule over the disputed region

But since Narendra Modi’s crackdown on Kashmir, the hotel has turned into a makeshift jail to house those same leaders

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For some 50 detainees, the Centaur Lake View Hotel’s rooms have become prison cells. Photo: Muzamil Aftab

Published: 3:55pm, 22 Sep 2019Updated: 2:50pm, 24 Sep 2019

Perched on the foothills of the Zabarwan mountains, overlooking the scenic Dal Lake, the lavish Centaur Lake View Hotel seems an unlikely place to find political prisoners.

Until recently, the four-star establishment offered luxurious rooms with panoramic views, including executive, deluxe and presidential suites costing up to US$357 a night. The hotel, spread across 13 acres of land in the Kashmir Valley, also boasted round-the-clock protection with “three tiers” of security, including the police and paramilitary forces.

But for the past seven weeks, the hotel in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir has been serving as a subsidiary jail housing pro-India political leaders and activists.

Built 35 years ago, the Centaur – owned by the Hotel Corporation of India, a subsidiary of Air India – was the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a former chief minister of the region and the founder of Kashmir’s oldest political party, the National Conference party.

Indian paramilitary troops in Srinagar, Kashmir. Photo: AP

Abdullah, nicknamed Sher-i-Kashmir (the Lion of Kashmir), negotiated the post-Partition compromise with India on Kashmir that led to the Articles 370 and 35A, which defined the partial autonomy of the disputed territory, being embedded into the Indian constitution.

How a four-star hotel in Indian-held Kashmir became a political prison

Until recently, the Centaur Lake View Hotel offered lavish suites and hosted political conferences that saw Kashmiri leaders defend India’s rule over the disputed region But since Narendra Modi’s crackdown on Kashmir, the hotel has turned into a makeshift jail to house those same leaders

Until recently, the Centaur Lake View Hotel offered lavish suites and hosted political conferences that saw Kashmiri leaders defend India’s rule over the disputed region

But since Narendra Modi’s crackdown on Kashmir, the hotel has turned into a makeshift jail to house those same leaders