Srinagar: Ahead of counting of votes for DDC polls on Tuesday, Police on Monday detained two senior leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Anantnag.
Sources said that Sartaj Madni and Peerzada Mansoor Hussain were detained from Khanabal and have been lodged at Police Station Bijbehara. However, police hasn’t issued any statement regarding the detention.
Meanwhile, reports suggested that PDP’s two more leaders – Nayeem Akhtar and Bashir Ahmad Mir (from Ganderbal) too have been detained.
PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti took to the micro blogging site, twitter, informing that two PDP leaders have been detained.
She stated that there is no rule of law anywhere in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that ‘it is out and out Gunda Raj’.
“Total lawlessness as PDPs Sartaj Madni & Mansoor Hussain have been arbitrarily detained today on the eve of DDC election results. Every senior police officer here is clueless as it is ‘upar say order’. No rule of law in J&K anymore. It is out & out Gunda Raj,” Mehbooba tweeted.
CPI (M) Secretary Ghulm Nabi Malik on Monday termed the detention of senior PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Peerzada Mansoor Hussain by a Central agency in Anantnag as unwarranted and uncalled for and demanded their immediate release.
Though there are some rumours afloat that some central government agency is behind the arrests, sources ruled out any such involvement.
The detentions have come just a day before the results of district development council (DDC) polls which is sheer political vendetta. Rule of law is being flouted with impunity in Jammu and Kashmir, he said in a statement issued today.
The need was to restore democratic rights of people but instead civil liberties are being curtailed which adds to the disillusionment of people, he added.
Meanwhile, PDP in a statement has condemned the arrest terming the detention of duo as an extreme case of political vengeance and vendetta.
Party’s Srinagar District President and former MLC Mohammad Khurshid Alam has stated that such government actions belie the claims of the government about strengthening of democratic institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PDP leader maintained that the arrest of the two senior party leaders is uncalled for, unjustified and unsubstantiated action by the government, removing the façade of fair play and upholding of democratic values in entirety.
Alam said that the witch hunt and brow beating will yield no results on the ground and instead turn the already fragile situation more chaotic and sultry. He said it is unfortunate that the government is militating against those persons who in spite of the trying circumstances of the past came out to straighten the democratic institutions in an otherwise violence strewn state.
Mehbooba Mufti Tweets:
J&K admin is on an arrest spree today. PDPs Nayeem Akhtar too has been abducted by J&K police & is being taken to MLA hostel. Looks like BJP is planning to manipulate DDC results tomorrow & don’t want any resistance. Democracy is being murdered in J&K.@manojsinha_ @JmuKmrPolice
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 21, 2020
“J&K admin is on an arrest spree today. PDPs Nayeem Akhtar too has been abducted by J&K police & is being taken to MLA hostel. Looks like BJP is planning to manipulate DDC results tomorrow & don’t want any resistance. Democracy is being murdered in J&K”.
