Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Sept 10: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that the Public Safety Act (PSA) had been invoked against MLA Doda to divert attention from the Hazratbal Dargah incident.
Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters, Mufti termed the use of such a law against an elected representative “unjustified” and demanded his immediate release.
She said the Hazratbal incident involved an act of “disrespect” that “hurt” public sentiments, leading to the registration of an FIR and detention of several people.
“Instead of taking action against the Waqf Board Chairperson or apologizing, people were detained and a case was filed. An MLA was sacrificed to divert attention from this major issue,” she alleged.
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Urging the administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to revoke the FIR and release all those detained, including MLA Mehraj Malik, Mufti said “PSA is not warranted against a people’s representative, even if he has used some offensive language against Government officials. Such arrests erode democracy and restrict people from expressing themselves.”
Expressing concern over flood- and cloudburst-hit areas in Doda, Mufti said Malik, as the local MLA, would have addressed the people’s grievances and ensuring relief.
“Instead of focusing on the situation after rains and cloudbursts in Doda, they detained the MLA. There can be disagreements with him, but jail under PSA is not the answer,” she said.
The PDP chief cautioned against the consequences of “stifling dissent,” saying: “If you continue to curb freedom of speech, the situation will go out of hand. We have now seen restrictions even imposed in Doda.”
Mufti urged the Lieutenant Governor to take cognizance of the ground situation, withdraw the FIR in the Hazratbal case, and ensure necessary measures to restore normalcy.
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