Mehbooba Mufti alleges being placed under house arrest during Amit Shah visit; police deny charge

Srinagar: Former Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday alleged that she was under house arrest while the Union Home Minister was visiting the Valley.

"While HM is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy, I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker's wedding. If an ex-CM's fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one can even imagine the plight of a commoner.@AmitShah @manojsinha", she said on her Twitter page.

This was, however, refuted by the J&K Police, who said she was free to travel

In response to her tweet, the police said on its official Twitter page: "It is clarified that no restriction of any kind travel to pattan, travel to pattan was at 1 pm as intimated to us. The picture tweeted by her is of inside of the gate with its own lock of residents who stay in the bungalow (sic). There is no lock or any restrictions. She is free to travel".

In a reply to Srinagar Police, Mufti wrote, "I was informed last night by SP Baramulla that I wouldn't be allowed to travel to Pattan. Today have themselves locked my gates from inside & are now lying through their teeth. Sad that law enforcement agencies are brazenly trying to cover up their tracks."

To this, Srinagar police wrote, "Again reiterating you are free to go madam, official message has already been sent in this regards from PCR Kashmir. There were certain security-related inputs that were conveyed to you before planning visit as is routine. If you still don't want to visit, we can't help it madam."

Her tweet comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah recounted the success of the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and said no processions or stone pelting take place in the Union Territory now. He was speaking at a public program in Jammu on Tuesday. Amit Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, is scheduled to address a public rally in Kashmir's Baramulla today.