PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah booked under PSA for supporting separatism

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA) for “working with separatists” while another former CM Omar Abdullah’s “considerable influence” over people has been cited in support of his detention under the stringent PSA.

The PSA dossier prepared by the police against 60-year-old Mebooba mentions her tweets in the run-up to abrogation of Article 370 citing “lynchings” and “highway blockade” among others. It also accuses her of promoting separatism corroborated by ‘several confidential reports’ filed by agencies.

The dossier also cites Mehbooba’s political journey especially last 10 years for ‘provocative statements’ that led to ‘incitement of violence.’ It also terms the creation of the PDP as ‘dubious.’ “Green colour of party flag reflects radical origin,” it adds.

She has also been accused of making anti-national statements and extending support to organisations like Jamaat-e-Islamia J&K, which has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The statements of the former chief minister, whose party PDP was an ally of the BJP till June 2018, on security forces killing militants was also made a part of the PSA dossier against her.

The grounds of detention against Omar, who was chief minister of J&K from 2009-14, states that on the eve of the reorganisation of the state he had made attempts to provoke general masses against the revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A.

The PSA dossier against 49-year-old National Conference (NC) leader, who had served as minister of state for external affairs as well as commerce and industries in Atal Behari Vajpayee government, states his ability to convince the electorate to vote in huge numbers even during the peak of militancy and poll boycott calls by separatists and militants.

The grounds also mention his comments on social networking sites to instigate common people against the decisions on Articles 370 and 35-A which had the potential of disturbing public order.

However, the police have neither mentioned any of Omar's social media posts in the dossier nor in the order for grounds of his detention.

Omar and old Mehbooba have been under detention since August 5 last year, when the Centre announced the abrogation of Article 370of the Constitution granting a special status and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories - Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

They were booked under the PSA on February 6, barely a few hours before their preventive detention was to end. Omar's father, Farooq Abdullah, who is a three-time chief minister and incumbent Member of Parliament, was booked in September last year under the PSA.

The PSA was also slapped on NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, PDP leader Sartaj Madni (maternal uncle of Mehbooba) and PDP leader and former minister Nayeem Akhtar soon after their release from MLA Hostel Srinagar last week.