'Daddy's girl...': Mehbooba Mufti's PSA dossier reads like a bad fanfic

'Daddy's girl...': Mehbooba Mufti's PSA dossier reads like a bad fanfic

Under preventive detention since August 2019, former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were recently booked under the Public Safety Act

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Monday, February 10, 2020, 01:50 PM IST
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Former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were recently booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) which allows for detention up to two years without trial.

The two politicians have been under preventive detention since August last year, when the Centre announced the abrogation of Article 370. Soon after, the government granted a special status and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

On the night of February 6, barely a few hours before their preventive detention was to end, the Ministry of Home Affairs invoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) and slapped its provisions on the two.

Their PSA dossiers, even while listing their transgressions, have a few turns of phrases that have baffled many. Take Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's six page list for example.

The PDP chief, whose party was an ally of the BJP till June 2018, has been accused of making anti-national statements and extending support to organisations such as the Jamaat-e-Islamia of the state, which has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Comments which have been cited include challenging accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India in case the Article 370 was abrogated, and statements on security forces killing militants.

As her dossier explains, "The subject has been stoking gullible masses so as to create issues of disturbance in public order and demoralizing security forces by making unscrupulous statements vis-a-vis the security exercises being undertaken for safety and security of common people."

The dossier also goes on to call Mufti a "Daddy's girl".

To quote, "The subject is referred for her dangerous and insidious machinations and usurping profile and nature by the masses as "Daddy's girl" and "Kota Rani" based on profile a historical medieval queen of Kashmir, who rose to power by virtue of undertaking intrigues ranging from Poisoning of her opponents to ponyardings."

The statements were shared on Mufti's Twitter feed -- now handled by her daughter Iltija.

In a follow-up post she adds, "Not unusual that she adored, respected & loved her father. They had an unshakeable bond & were each other’s closest confidante. Which is why she honoured Mufti sahabs commitment after his sudden death in 2016. Didn’t know loving your parent constitutes a crime.

In a lengthy thread on Twitter, the handle also took up other topics from the dossier.

"It alleges that PDP party symbol has been taken from Muslim United Front which participated in 1987 elections in J&K. PDPs party symbol has been approved by ECI. Is GOI going to question & undermine decisions of ECI so brazenly now?" she asked, attaching a photo of the Janta Dal (United) party flag in the next tweet.

"Wondering what the green in their party flag stands for? Or is a party credible & nationalistic enough only when it’s BJPs ally?"

Mufti's dossier is not the only one which seems to be a tad bit ambiguous.

Fellow detainee, Omar Abdullah "removed all covers / curtains and while resorting to his dirty politics has adopted a radical methodology by way of instigating general masses against the policies of central government," his dossier says.

He did this "after revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A, in order to secure support of common people," an NDTV report quotes the dossier to say.

Now, keep in mind that the National Conference leader has been detained since the day before Article 370 was abrogated.

The dossier also mention his comments on social networking sites to instigate common people against the decisions on Articles 370 and 35-A which had the potential of disturbing public order. However, the police have neither mentioned any of Omar's social media posts in the dossier nor in the order for grounds of his detention.

On Monday, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging Abdullah's detention under the PSA.

The two CMs, while some of the most high profile detainees, are not the only people brought under the ambit of the PSA.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah continues to be in detention at his home at Gupkar Road in Srinagar which has been designated as a sub-jail. In December last year his detention was extended for three more months.

More recently, senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar came under the PSA. Akhtar will be lodged at M-5 hut, located on Gupkar Road of the J&K capital.

Earlier, National Conference General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar and senior PDP leader Sartaj Madani, uncle of Mehbooba Mufti, were booked under the PSA.

According to rules, preventive detention can be extended beyond six months only if an advisory board, constituted two weeks before the completion of the 180-day period, recommends for that.

(With inputs from agencies)

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