Srinagar, Oct 5: Police on Wednesday said that former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti was free to visit Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, rejecting her claim that she was “under house arrest”.
“Again reiterating you are free to go madam, official message has already been sent in this regards from PCR kashmir. There were certain security related inputs that were conveyed to you before planning visit as is routine. If you still don’t want to visit, we can’t help it madam,” Srinagar police said in a tweet, responding to Mehbooba Mufti’s statement that she was asked by SP Baramulla last night that
she would not be permitted to travel to Pattan.”
“I was informed last night by SP Baramulla @bhatray that I wouldn’t be allowed to travel to Pattan. Today @JmuKmrPolice have themselves locked my gates from inside & are now lying through their teeth. Sad that law enforcement agencies are brazenly trying to cover up their tracks.”
Earlier the Srinagar police had tweeted to “clarify” that no restriction of any kind of travel to Pattan were imposed on her. “Travel to Pattan was at 1 pm as intimated to us. The picture tweeted by her is of inside of the gate with own lock of residents who stay in the bunglow. There is no lock or any restrictions. She is free to travel,” police had said.
The response by Srinagar police followed tweet by Mehbooba Mufti: “While HM is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy,I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker’s wedding.If an ex CM’s fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one cant even imagine the plight of a commoner. @AmitShah@manojsinha_”
