“Requested to postpone her visit”: Police refute Mehbooba’s house arrest cry, she questions back

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday refuted the claim by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president that she was put under house detention.

In a tweet, police said the former chief minister is not under house detention and she was just requested to postpone her visit to Pulwama “purely due to security reasons”.

Earlier on Friday morning, Mehbooba had alleged the J&K administration had “illegally detained” her before she could visit her party’s arrested youth leader Waheed Para’s residence in Naira Pulwama.

“I’ve been illegally detained yet again. Since two days, J&K admin has refused to allow me to visit Waheed Para’s family in Pulwama,” Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet.

“Even my daughter Iltija has been placed under house arrest because she also wanted to visit Waheed’s family,” she said.

Para, the PDP youth leader, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday after two days of questioning in the suspended DSP Davinder Singh and Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed Babu case.

He was produced before a designated court in Jammu on Friday which remanded him to a 15-day NIA custody.

Mehbooba has also planned to hold a press conference at 3:00 PM on Friday and requested the media to visit her.

However, police allegedly disallowed her from meeting the media persons to which she reacted on Twitter.

“Press has been barred from entering my residence in Srinagar. This despite no written orders explaining my arbitrary detention. Kashmir is an open-air prison where no one has the right to express their opinion,” Mehbooba wrote.

“We are one day away from DDC polling & its evident that the admin here is using fear & intimidation in tandem to muffle any form of opposition.”

In another tweet, Mehbooba questioned the police version of her not being under house arrest, asking if that was the case then why were media persons stopped at her gate.