Mehbooba Mufti faces FIR for alleged MCC violation amid protests over detentions

NEW DELHI — People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that an FIR has been filed against her for flouting the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

In a post on X, Mufti said that her protest was against the Government of India and local administration for detaining her party’s workers.

“Amusing to find an FIR filed against me for apparently flouting MCC. This is the price PDP has paid for speaking truth to power. Our protest was against GOI in cahoots with local administration for detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents and workers in the hours leading to voting. Still not satisfied, the same administration went on to launch cordon and search operations in traditional PDP stronghold areas to terrorise our voters and prevent them from exercising their right to vote,” Mufti said.

“Ulta chor kotwal ko daante,” she added.

Earlier, on the day of voting in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat on May 25, Mehbooba Mufti sat in a protest alleging that the police had detained her party’s polling agents and workers without any reason.

Mufti said, “PDP workers are being locked up in police stations without any reason. DG, LG, and all officials from top to bottom are involved in this. They have locked up PDP polling agents in police stations. You had said that there will be free and fair elections but you are doing all this. Complaints are being received from places where efforts are being made to tamper the machines (EVMs).”

On May 13, she also wrote a letter to the Election Commission to stop the alleged harassment and “illegal” arrest of the party workers.

Mufti is in the electoral fray for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat against National Conference (NC) candidate Mian Altaf Ahmad and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of the Apni Party.

According to the latest figure from the Election Commission, the Anatnag-Rajouri constituency recorded 54.3 per cent voter turnout. The voter turnout in the constituency was 14.3 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.