Jammu and Kashmir former CM Mehbooba Mufti shifted to her residence, detention continues

After more than eight months of incarceration, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti was on Tuesday shifted from a make-shift jail to her official Gupkar residence in Srinagar.

However, her detention under public safety act (PSA) will continue as her Gupkar residence has been declared as a subsidiary jail.

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“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (b) of Section 2 of the Prisoners Act, 1990, the government hereby declares Fairview, Gupkar Road, Srinagar as "Subsidiary Jail"," an order issued by Principal Secretary to Government, Shaleen Kabra, reads.

Mufti along with two other former chief ministers – Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar - was detained on August 5 last year, when the Government of India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories.

On February 6, the Jammu and Kashmir administration slapped the stringent PSA against Mufti and Omar, a day before their detention was supposed to end. While Farooq and Omar were released last month, Mufti continues to remain detained.

Minutes after the news about the shifting of Mufti came, Omar in a tweet said she must be released fully. "@MehboobaMufti must be set free. Shifting her home while continuing to keep her detained is a cop out,” Omar tweeted.