National

Mehbooba Mufti arrested for protest against POTA

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR JUNE 27. Police arrested today 72 people including Mehbooba Mufti and Abdur Rehman Veeri of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) when partymen held protest demonstrations against POTA and alleged custodial killings in the State.

The party had announced the programme of demonstrations at all district headquarters last week. Demonstrations were held in Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama, Anantnag, Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Jammu and Kathua today but they turned into a fight between police and PDP workers in Srinagar and Anantnag.

It was alleged that police did not allow the partymen to stage a peaceful demonstration. The partymen merely wanted to hand over a memorandum to the authorities.

In Khanabal dak bungalow, hundreds of party workers were held hostage by police.

Even as the senior vice-president of the party, Mehbooba Mufti, managed to come out along with Bijbehara MLA, Abdur Rehman Veeri, former Minister, Abdul Aziz Zargar, and others police arrested them.

In Srinagar, the party workers were not allowed to march towards the Divisional Commissioner's office and taken into custody. Condeming the arrests, the party president and former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said that it had become clear that the National Conference Government did not want to see a healthy democratic process taking place in Kashmir.

Alleging that the Farooq Abdullah Government was not able to tolerate criticism, he reiterated the demands that POTA be revoked immediately and the Special Operations Group of J & K Police disbanded.

"Our protests will continue," he said adding that the demonstrations were peaceful in other district headquarters.

Mr. Sayeed said apprehensions about Assembly elections not being fair under the present dispensation were there and "we are watching the situation''.

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