Iltija Mufti visits family of tribal youth who committed suicide to escape police harassment
Opposition Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Sunday claimed that she was detained at Jammu’s Circuit House to stop her from speaking to the media after her she met the family of a tribal youth who committed suicide earlier this week to escape torture in the hands of the local police in the Billawar area of the neighbouring Kathua district.
Srinagar: Opposition Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Sunday claimed that she was detained at Jammu’s Circuit House to stop her from speaking to the media after her she met the family of a tribal youth who committed suicide earlier this week to escape torture in the hands of the local police in the Billawar area of the neighbouring Kathua district.
In a post on ‘X’, Ms. Mufti said, “Detained at Circuit House Jammu now. All this because J&K police wanted me to cancel my press conference scheduled for 4 pm. This is Naya Kashmir and the true face of it. The elected government is too busy hosting a lunch in Delhi to care about victims of human rights violations.”
Ms. Mufti who also serves as media advisor to her mother and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had on Friday said that both have been placed under house arrest in Srinagar to prevent them from visiting the families of the latest victims of the strife in J&K.
On Saturday, she, after meeting the family of 25-year-old Makhan Din who ended his life by consuming insecticide on Tuesday evening, said that she had to flee from Srinagar like a thief in the dead of the night to reach Jammu and then leave for Billawar at 6 am. She said that on her return to Jammu the police arrived at the Circuit House where she was staying to ask her to cancel her press conference. “When I refused, they detained me. I want to ask the government what have you done? What are your priorities?”, she said.
She posted a video on ‘X’ showing her walking towards the outer gate of the Circuit House which is closed and where several policemen and women are seen deployed. She herself is also capturing the scene with her mobile phone.
Ms. Mufti has alleged that the Gujjar youth Din was forced to commit suicide as he was subjected to severe beatings in the police station after he was detained by the SHO Billawar on the charges of being an Over Ground Worker (OWG) of separatist militants. Din had, before consuming insecticide, claimed innocence and denied any connection with terrorists in a video recorded in a local mosque which prompted separate probes by the police and the district administration.
The PDP leader accused the SHO Billawar of running an extortion racket and creating an atmosphere of fear in his area. “He detains innocent people and tries to extort money from them. Those who are unable to pay are being brutally tortured and implicated in terror cases,” she alleged and then asked, “Why isn’t he being terminated”?
She wondered why Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has not visited the area, so far. “There is no sense of responsibility or accountability. It is highly irresponsible,” she said.
Earlier during the day, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X, “Finally Iltija managed to reach Billawar in Kathua to meet the bereaved family of Makhan Din, who was driven to suicide by police torture.” She added, “It’s deeply saddening that she (Iltija) had to endure so many obstacles and travel like a fugitive just to offer comfort to the victim’s family. The ruling party has shirked responsibility conveniently attributing all issues to the Lieutenant Governor. However, as a responsible opposition PDP will always strive to reach out to the people to offer solace.”
