SRINAGAR: At least 19 PDP leaders appeared before Tehsildar South Srinagar who is also Executive Magistrate 1st Class. These leaders were arrested and booked for violating the law when they had tried to take out a protesting march against new land laws.
They were detained by Police Station Kothi Bagh in a case vide number 107/151 CrPc. The Executive Magistrate had directed police to release them after they signed a surety bond of Rs 10,000.
Some of these leaders told news agency KNT that they did not sign any bond today as a mark of protest. “It is a legal battle and we will fight it legally,” PDP leader Yasin Bhat said.
Another leader Rouf Bhat said that the case has been listed for next hearing on 24 November.
Some of the leaders who were detained by police for trying to hold a march included Muhammad Khurshid Aalam, Abdul Hameed Kosheen, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, Rouf Bhat, Tahir Sayeed, Yasin Bhat, Arif Laigaroo, Mohsin Qayoom Wani, Harbaksh Singh, Suhail Bukhari and others.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also lambasted the government for it.“In which democracy is the right to peacefully protest an ‘anti-national’ activity? PDP members detained last week for attempting to peacefully protest against news land laws in J&K today refused to sign a dictatorial affidavit that terms dissent as anti-national,” Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
When will this deliberate attempt to conflate BJP with India stop? How does disagreeing with BJPs communal & divisive actions tantamount to being an anti-national or sedition? Seems like India is the world’s largest democracy only on paper now, she further wrote.
