‘Nothing has changed in Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, daughter claim they are under house arrest
Srinagar, Feb 8,: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti claimed on Saturday that she and her mother Mehooba Mufti were placed under house arrest, alleging that the gates of their house were locked to prevent them from visiting the families of deceased civilians in Sopore and Kathua.
“My mother and I both have been placed under house arrest. Our gates have been locked up because she was meant to visit Sopore where Waseem Mir was shot dead by the army. I intended to visit Kathua today to meet Makhan Din’s family today and I am not being allowed to even move out,” Iltija said.
“Nothing has changed in Kashmir even after elections. Now even comforting the families of victims is being criminalised,” she added.
A civilian truck driver was shot dead by Army personnel on Thursday on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway near Sopore. The Army claimed he ignored a checkpoint, leading to a 23 km chase before they fired at the truck’s tyres to deflate them. However, his death has sparked outrage, with his family and political leaders questioning the official version.
In another incident, a video recorded by a civilian from Jammu’s Kathua, who allegedly died by suicide following repeated police “torture,” went viral in J&K on Friday, sparking strong reactions from locals and political parties.
26-year-old Makhan Din, allegedly recorded a 3.48-minute video inside a mosque in Kathua’s Billawar area, detailing the “torture” he endured during questioning by the J&K Police. He claimed he was forced to fabricate a story to survive and feared returning to the police station, fearing further beatings.
“I was assaulted. I told them honestly that I had never seen the militants or my uncle, Swaru, who crossed over to Pakistan. In the morning, they let me go to bring my mobile phone to the police station. I lied to them, saying I had Swaru’s number along with many others. If I take my phone to the police and tell them I don’t have those numbers, they will beat me again,” he said in the video. (
