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J&K Police Deny Manhandling Leader Sajjad Lone After Mehbooba Mufti's Daughter Tweets About Incident

Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija Mufti said Sajjad Lone, Waheeda Para and Shah Faesal had been manhandled while they were being moved from Centaur hotel to an MLA hostel.
Dilbag Singh, the Jammu and Kashmir director general of police, speaks during a news conference in Srinagar September 11, 2019.
Danish Ismail / Reuters
Dilbag Singh, the Jammu and Kashmir director general of police, speaks during a news conference in Srinagar September 11, 2019.

The Jammu and Kashmir police have denied claims that political leaders like Sajjad Lone, Waheeda Para and Shah Faesal were manhandled while being moved on the Centaur Hotel, which is near Srinagar’s Dal Lake, to an MLA hostel.

Itija Mufti, daughter of former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, has been tweeting from Mehbooba Mufti’s Twitter handle as the leader remains under custody.

Iltija tweeted on Sunday saying, “SKICC detainees shifted to MLA hostel, Srinagar today. Police manhandled them & roughed up Sajad Lone, Waheed Para & Shah Faesal. Is this how you treat elected representatives? Why humiliate them? J&K is under martial law & police seems be inebriated with power”

In a series of tweets Iltija questioned the Narendra Modi government’s treatment of these leaders.

However, the police have denied the allegations. J&K cop Imtiaz Hussain wrote on Twitter, “Apropos some twitter handle claiming manhandling of some people at MLA hostel Srinagar,it is hereby clarified that no such incident has taken place. Mandatory security drills were followed as required for lodgement.
J&K Police.”

Officials have alleged that tempers ran high when Lone “refused to cooperate” for a body search and luggage frisking that is apparently mandatory.

Lone was part of a group of 34 political leaders who were being moved from Centaur Hotel, located on the bank of Dal Lake, to the MLA Hostel.

People’s Conference chief Sajjad Lone allegedly refused to cooperate in the mandatory body search and luggage frisking by police personnel, officials said on Sunday.

The officials told PTI that as the MLA Hostel has been declared a subsidiary jail, prison manual was being followed and everyone was lodged after frisking.

The People’s Conference issued a statement through its spokesman Adnan Ashraf, saying that the police on the pretext of security checking, “manhandled and misbehaved” with Lone.

“This led to a heated exchange of words in which some of the members also exchanged physical blows,” the statement said and condemned the police action.

(With PTI inputs)

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