Delhi Police Detains Mehbooba Mufti During Protest Against J&K Eviction Drive
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was detained by the Delhi Police in the national capital on Wednesday (February 8), during a protest against the ongoing eviction drive in Kashmir.
The PDP, along with other Kashmir-based parties, have been criticising the J&K authorities' ongoing anti-encroachment drive, saying it amounts to a "homelessness drive" and is an attack on the people of Kashmir. Amid widespread rumours that land excavators have been fanned out by the administration to all the districts of Kashmir for carrying out sweeping demolition drives, the opposition parties have demanded a white paper on the issue.
Speaking to The Wire, Mehbooba's daughter Iltija Mufti confirmed that the PDP leader had been detained. Mehbooba was in Delhi, Iltija said, as her mother (Iltija's grandmother) required some medical treatment. While here, her and her supporters organised a small protest against the eviction drive, and it was during this time that the Delhi Police swooped in to detain her.
Leaders from J&K have condemned the police action against Mehbooba.
I strongly Condemn the detention of Former CM J&K Madam @MehboobaMufti ji in Delhi for raising voice against the dictatorial Bulldozer regime in J&K,use of police & other agencies to curb the voice is all BJP can do.
— Dr.Jahanzaib Sirwal (@JhanzaibSirwal) February 8, 2023
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Mehbooba had said that the BJP is using its brute majority to “weaponise” everything and “bulldoze” the Constitution.
“Palestine is still better. At least people talk. Kashmir is becoming worse than Afghanistan, the way bulldozers are being used to demolish the homes of people. What is the purpose of demolishing small houses of people,” she had said.
As The Wire has reported, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s repeated assurances that only those who misused power to grab state land are going to be targeted has done little to allay popular fears, with daily reports of demolition drives keeping people of the union territory on the edge.
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