PDP workers detained, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief and Lok Sabha candidate from Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat Mehbooba Mufti staged a protest and alleged that the police had detained her party workers and polling agents. She said that the police detained him without giving any reason.
According to news agency ANI, while protesting in Anantnag, Mehbooba Mufti asked, “Why are you [police] harassing my workers? The detention of my party workers started last night. [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee Ji used to conduct free and fair elections but now…”
She further said that PDP workers are being detained everywhere in Anantnag. Mufti said, “The Lieutenant Governor should have told me in advance that I should not contest the elections… I am also receiving complaints of malfunction in the machines.”
Earlier, Mehbooba had written a letter to the Election Commission accusing the police of detaining PDP workers and polling agents.
PDP President @MehboobaMufti Holds Protest Near Police Station #Bijbehara, alleging Police of Detaining her Workers.@ECISVEEP @SpokespersonECI@ceo_UTJK @JmuKmrPolice@KashmirPolice @DCAnantnag@AnantnagPolice @jkpdp pic.twitter.com/Iz3fclhSV5
— KNS (@KNSKashmir) May 25, 2024
Mehbooba had said in a post on Twitter, “Many of our PDP polling agents and workers are being detained just before voting. When the families went to the police stations, they were told that this was at the behest of SSP Anantnag and DIG South Kashmir. But it is being done. We have written a letter to @ECISVEEP and expressed hope for their timely intervention.”
However, Anantnag police said the number of people detained was very small. “The detained persons had a tainted past and were detained based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on the polling day,” the police said in an ex-post. He said most of those detained were over-ground workers, a term used to define people who assist terrorists or terrorists.
According to news agency PTI, Mehbooba Mufti also alleged that outgoing calls from her mobile number were suddenly stopped without any notice. “I have not been able to make any calls since this morning. No justification was given for this unexpected disruption in services on polling day in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency,” Mehbooba was quoted as saying.
Mufti, the last Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, posted on Instagram highlighting the sudden suspension of her mobile service just before the elections.
Mufti’s Anantnag-Rajouri is one of the five constituencies where voting is being held for the first time after the removal of Article 370. The sixth phase of voting is taking place here on Saturday. There was 8.89% voting in this constituency in the first two hours.
Mehbooba Mufti ended her protest and cast her vote in Bijbehara after the police released her detained workers. He alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir administration was trying to rig the current elections like in 1987 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee