Former Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir and People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday claimed that she had been put under house arrest yet again, second straight day since Tuesday.
Mufti said in a tweet she was prevented from moving out of her Gupkar residence to meet families of a tribal community that are allegedly being evicted from forestlands. She criticised the government in a series of tweets, accusing it of illegally detaining her without providing any reason.
“Illegally detained today for the third time in less than a fortnight. Too much democracy indeed.” “If my movements are curbed due to ‘security concerns’ then why are BJP ministers allowed to campaign freely in Kashmir while I’ve been asked to wait until the culmination of DDC elections?”
Illegally detained today for the third time in less than a fortnight. Too much democracy indeed. If my movements are curbed due to ‘security concerns’ then why are BJP ministers allowed to campaign freely in Kashmir while Ive been asked to wait until culmination of DDC elections? pic.twitter.com/H3v0ixISrL— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 9, 2020
Many here see the “too much democracy” comment as an indirect snide at NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant’s purported remarks on Tuesday. Kant had said in a tweet that “tough” reforms are “very difficult in the Indian context,” as “we are too much of a democracy”.
On Tuesday, Mufti tweeted, “Illegal detention has become GOIs favourite go to method for muzzling any form of opposition. Ive (sic) been detained once again because I wanted to visit Budgam where hundreds of families were evicted from their homes.”
“GOI wants to continue inflicting oppression & zulm (atrocities) on the people of J&K without any questions asked,” she added in another tweet.
She also posted a purported police communique where it was indicated that due to ”movement of terrorists in the area she is requested to visit the subjected area (Budgam) after the culmination of the DDC polls.
However, she did not seem to buy the rationale, pointing out that “on the one hand, BJP politicians are given full security cover and other facilities to undertake a journey of their choice to every nook and corner of the valley. When it comes to me, I am being placed under house arrest. All the time, they say ‘upar se order hai‘ (we have an order from the higher ups).
Mufti has been very vocal about the eviction of tribal families, saying the communities have lived in those places for hundreds of years. She recently visited Pahalgam to meet the community and raised her objections to government’s move to raze their temporary structures citing them as illegal encroachments.
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