PDP chief and candidate for Anantnag–Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, Mehbooba Mufti (FIR), along with party leaders and workers sat on a sit-in in Anantnag on Saturday.
The Election Commission (EC) lodged an FIR against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Mehbooba Mufti in south Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat for conducting street protests on the polling day on May 25 demanding the release of arrested PDP workers including her own agents.
According to the FIR, many PDP workers led by Ms. Mufti gathered in Bijbehara town and chanted slogans for liberating the PDP detainees “that was deemed as a clear violation of MCC“.
“It also blocked main road at main spot Bijbehara for more than one hour which is violation of section 144 CrPC imposed in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency,” it said.
Ms. Mufti, former CM J&K said she was paying a price for speaking truth to power.” “Our protest was against Government of India which conspired with local administration in detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents and workers just hours before voting began. However, unsatisfied with this step the same administration went ahead to launch Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) in traditional PDP stronghold areas to terrorize our voters and prevent them from casting their vote. Ulta chor kotwal ko daante [the pot calling the kettle black],” Ms. Mufti said.
It condemned the registration of FIR by daughter Ilitija Mufti who is also media adviser to her mother as “selective arrests were made to manipulate elections but disguise it as tactical rigging” that occurred on May 25th just before voting died down.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi praises higher voter turnout in Kashmir. It would have been much higher in south Kashmir had the local administration not selectively targeted PDP strongholds. The police resorted to intimidation and instilled fear, and brought down the voter turnout. Our leaders who were arrested were not anti-national but those who kept the flag of democracy high in Kashmir. Polling was less than our expectations in PDP strongholds,” junior Ms. Muftisaid.
Also, her mother said she was compelled to take a walk “to ascertain reasons for their arrests and ask for their release”. “Another attempt at intimidation is that FIR. But we will not bow down; we shall continue telling truth to power,” she stated.
Ms.Mufti contested from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency against Mian Altaf from National Conference and J&K Apni Party candidate Zaffar Manhas.