J&K Police Books 10 PDP Members for Gathering at Mufti Sayeed's Grave in South Kashmir

Srinagar: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have booked 10 members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), including senior party leaders, for organising a rally on the 6th death anniversary of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

The police have registered an FIR number 4/2022 at police station Bijbhera under IPC sections of 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (unlawfully or negligently act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life).

The case has been registered on the directions by Executive Magistrate from Bijbhera. The Tehsildar directed the local police in an order dated January 7 for organising a large gathering in the South Kashmir area, where former chief minister Mufti Sayeed in buried.

“It is to intimate that following persons/organisers of People’s Democratic Party organised a large gathering today on 07.01.2022 at the tomb of Ex. CM Mufti Mohammed Syed at Padshah Bagh Zirpara Bijbehara in complete violation of SOPs and Covid appropriate behaviour which may result in spreading of Covid-19 and related epidemic,” the magistrate’s order read.

The order was later shared by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who termed the move against his party members as “biased.”

“Covid 19 restrictions apply only to PDP. Not to BJP’s protest in Kashmir yesterday, PMs rally in Punjab or the mass poojas attended by hundreds of people to pray for his safety. Talks volumes about J&K admin’s brazen bias against my party,” Mehbooba tweeted.

Mehbooba had on Friday slammed the UT administration and accused it of being “deeply paranoid” after her party workers were earlier restricted to attend a congregation at Sayed’s burial site on his death anniversary.

The FIR has been filed against party leaders including former minister Abdul Rahman Bhat and former legislator Sartaj Madni, who is also Mehbooba’s uncle. Others named in the FIR are party members Javaid Ahmad Sheikh, Najmun Saqib, Majid Ahmad Khan, Abdul Majeed Rangraiz, Showkat Ahmad Teeli, Mufti Sarwar,  Arshid Ahmad Ganie and Nazir Ahmad Vaid.

Following the case against these leaders, the official twitter handle of PDP shared a video purportedly showing that the Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag district has violated the Covid protocol.

“Here DC Anantnag dancing on New Years eve without a mask where crowd ran into thousands but when it comes to PDP, COVID-19 suddenly resurfaces and turns political,” the party tweeted.