In a significant development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, Mehbooba Mufti, finds herself embroiled in controversy after an FIR was registered against her for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The incident occurred five days after polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.
The FIR was filed in response to a protest organized by the PDP. On May 25, party workers and supporters led by Mehbooba Mufti blocked the main road in Bijbehara, Anantnag, demanding the release of detained party workers. However, the authorities deemed this protest a “gross violation” of the MCC.
Amusing to find an FIR filed against me for apparently flouting MCC. This is the price PDP has paid for speaking truth to power. Our protest was against GOI in cahoots with local administration for detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents & workers in the hours leading upto… pic.twitter.com/K6w0cTmpgX
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 29, 2024
According to the Assistant Returning Officer, Srigufwara Bijbehra, the PDP’s actions were in breach of Section 144 of the CrPC, which restricts gatherings of more than four people during the election period. The FIR specifically accuses Mehbooba Mufti of flouting the MCC guidelines.
Mehbooba Mufti responded to the FIR on social media, expressing her frustration. She stated that the PDP was paying the price for “speaking truth to power.” The party had raised concerns about the detention of its polling agents and workers by the local administration in the lead-up to voting. Despite these challenges, Mehbooba Mufti continued to assert her party’s rights.
Supporting her mother, Iltija Mufti highlighted the deliberate attempts to suppress voting in South Kashmir. She alleged that the administration’s actions were aimed at preventing Mehbooba Mufti from being elected to Parliament. The FIR against the PDP chief has further intensified the political climate in the region.
As the legal proceedings unfold, all eyes are on Mehbooba Mufti’s next move and the implications it may have for both her party and the broader political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir.
On May 25, Mehbooba staged a protest amid polling
As the polling started for the prestigious Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat on May 25, Mehbooba Mufti staged a protest against the alleged detention of her party workers and polling agents in different police stations of south Kashmir.
She alleged that cops conducted raids at the residences of her party workers worker to terrorize them.
“In every part of north Kashmir including Anantnag district, our polling agents have been detained in police stations without any cause or reason”, Mehbooba Mufti, who is the PDP candidate on this seat, had alleged.
“Administration has been involved in terrorizing people in general and PDP workers in particular”, she said and asked, “I do not know why the administration is so afraid of Mehbooba Mufti”?
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— Anantnag Police( اننت ناگ پولیس) (@AnantnagPolice) May 25, 2024
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Only tainted persons detained to ensure peaceful polls: Police
Police, however, rejected claims by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti that her party’s workers and polling agents have been detained ahead of elections to Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha Constituency, saying that “detention are a very few”, and are those who have “tainted past”.
“Claims were made by a political party that their workers have been detained. Firstly, detention is very few and restricted only to those who have tainted past and based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on polling day,” Anantnag police said in a post on ‘X’.
“Mostly they are OGWs and are taken into preventive custody for ensuring a safe and peaceful election,” it said.
