State Land Row: Mehbooba Mufti detained after protest in New Delhi

SRINAGAR — Authorities on Wednesday foiled the protest led by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti against the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in Jammu & Kashmir by detaining her along with several party leaders in New Delhi. However, the party leaders in Srinagar also carried out a protest march here to press for her immediate release.

Scores of PDP leaders led by the party chief carried out a protest rally in New Delhi against the ongoing anti-encroachment drive. However, Mehbooba Mufti was immediately detained soon after she tried to hold a sit-in. The former chief minister was later released.

Meanwhile, scores of PDP functionaries and leaders staged a protest outside the party headquarters here.

Raising slogans against Delhi Police, and shouting slogans like “Our Land, your orders won’t work”, the protesters said, “Today our party president Mehbooba Mufti had planned a protest in Delhi. Neither are we allowed here nor in Delhi to register our protest. Is BJP running dictatorship here?”

Party spokesperson Najmu Saqib told the news agency KNO that after the detention of their party president in New Delhi, they wanted to hold a protest in Srinagar’s Press Colony to seek the immediate release of Mehbooba Mufti and other leaders accompanying her, but they were not allowed to proceed.

The protesters also said that the party will continue to protest till the order regarding anti-encroachment is revoked by the government.