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Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has called upon the administration, led by New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, to release those detained in connection with the Hazratbal shrine incident, along with sitting Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, who also remains in custody.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian police arrested dozens of people after protests erupted last Friday against the installation of the Ashoka emblem inside the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar. The move was widely denounced by Kashmiris as blasphemous and contrary to Islamic teachings that strictly forbid idol worship. Most detainees have been booked under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA). On Monday, authorities also detained Mehraj Malik, the lone Aam Aadmi Party MLA in IIOJK, under the PSA on the pretext of maintaining \u201cpublic order\u201d, accusing him of \u201cspreading misinformation\u201d and \u201cglorifying freedom fighters\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mehbooba said the use of the PSA against an elected representative was both unjustified and undemocratic. \u201cPSA is not warranted for a people\u2019s representative… Such arrests erode democracy and restrict people from expressing themselves,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n
She further maintained that Malik\u2019s arrest was aimed at diverting public attention from the Hazratbal shrine incident. \u201cThe sitting MLA has been detained simply to shift focus. This approach is not democratic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mehbooba Mufti warned that stifling people\u2019s voices in occupied Jammu and Kashmir could have dangerous consequences. \u201cWe should draw lessons from countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, where restrictions on people\u2019s voices led to serious consequences\u201d, she cautioned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has called upon the administration, led by New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, to release those detained in connection with the Hazratbal shrine incident, along with sitting Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, who also remains in custody. According to Kashmir Media …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":181968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-183261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"yoast_head":"\n