Srinagar: The Jammu office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was attacked by a group of unidentified men Saturday, a day after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said she won’t raise the Indian flag until the flag of the J&K state is raised, triggering a controversy.
Mehbooba, who last week was released after more than a year in detention, Friday held her first press conference since her release during which she indirectly called for the reinstatement of J&K’s special status.
Former PDP MLA and party spokesperson Firdous Tak Saturday said he along with another local leader Parvez Waffa were in the office when few “right wingers” attacked them.
The attackers, Tak said, also installed an Indian flag at the office, which was later removed by the police force.
“We were in the office when these goons attacked us. Luckily, we didn’t sustain any injuries. They were raising some slogans, but police came soon and escorted them out of the office,” Tak told ThePrint.
He said the attack was clearly a reaction to Mehbooba’s comment. The PDP chief’s remark has drawn criticism from both state units of the BJP and Congress, which viewed it as “intolerable”.
ThePrint contacted Mukesh Singh, Inspector General of Police (Jammu division), and Shridhar Patil, senior superintendent of police, Jammu, via text messages and phone calls, but was unable to reach them till the time of publishing this report.
Mehbooba’s press conference was followed by a meeting on Saturday of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an umbrella group of regional and national parties working to restore the scrapped Article 370. Mehbooba had been detained by the new J&K administration under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) when Article 370 was scrapped by the Modi government last August. Several other senior regional party leaders, including National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar, were also detained under the PSA.
Also read: Mehbooba Mufti disrespecting tricolor by refusing to touch it, says Ravi Shankar Prasad
Gupkar alliance counters ‘BJP propaganda’
At Saturday’s meeting, Farooq said the Gupkar alliance was not anti-national but anti-BJP and that there were efforts to spread propaganda against the group.
The alliance has adopted the flag of the erstwhile state of J&K as its symbol.
At the meeting, Farooq, also a former J&K CM and Srinagar MP, was appointed president of the alliance, while Mehbooba was made vice-president. CPI(M)’s M.Y. Tarigami was appointed convenor, Anantnag MP Hasnain Masoodi the coordinator and Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone was made spokesperson.
Just an hour later, the PDP offices were attacked.
Various political parties condemned the attack, and called for swift action against the perpetrators.
NC spokesperson Imran Dar said there should be no excuse in dealing with “such anti social elements in Jammu”. PDP leader Waheed Para said the attack showed how “low these persons can go to muzzle the sane voices”.
Condemnable! Who ever has committed this despicable act must be brought to book @JmuKmrPolice @dcjammuofficial. There should not be any excuse in dealing with such anti social elements in Jammu. https://t.co/hWHQJSV0r2
— Imran Nabi Dar (@ImranNDar) October 24, 2020
We condemn this hooliganism act unequivocally. This proves how low these persons can go to muzzle the sane voices. FYI @JmuKmrPolice https://t.co/r2ZJvNB7Va
— Waheed Ur Rehman (@parawahid) October 24, 2020
Peoples Conference spokesperson Adnan Ashraf tweeted that “right wingers have a tendency to respond with violence” when cornered.
We strongly condemn this attack. The history is a testament to the fact that the right wingers have a tendency to respond with violence when they are cornered & frustated. The police must take strict action against such extremist elements. https://t.co/QMH7zinxG6
— Adnan Ashraf Mir (@AdnanAshrafMir) October 24, 2020
Also read: Gupkar Alliance is not anti-national but undoubtedly anti-BJP, Farooq Abdullah says
See who all are talking about Vandalism and Hooliganism.
This is so funny!! Serves the PDP. If they are not happy here they can always go to Pakistan or China and raise there flag there. But Sure the Pakis and the Chinese will hand them along with their flag
Instead, if the Central government doesn’t want to honour the Indian Constitution and the treaties based thereof, then it can well go to a distant island like Swamy Nityanand and have their merriment and whimsical ways, the way they like. The government should remember that it had taken the oath of office and secrecy on the solemn Indian Constitution, and that the dishonest procedures it adopted to repeal the article 370 and the other article tantamount to dishonouring the Constitution.