Srinagar, May 29 : Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed an FIR against former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party’s chief Mehbooba Mufti for allegedly violating the model code of conduct (MCC) on the polling day in the Anantnag Rajouri Lok Sabha seat. Mehbooba Mufti, the PDP’s candidate for the Anantnag Rajouri seat, staged a protest outside a police station in Anantnag district on May 25, alleging the detention of her party workers and polling agents on the eve of the polls. Mufti termed the registration of an FIR against her “the price the PDP has paid for speaking truth to power.” “It is amusing to find an FIR filed against me for apparently flouting MCC. This is the price the PDP has paid for speaking truth to power. Our protest was against the GOI in cahoots with the local administration for detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents and workers in the hours leading up to voting. Still not satisfied, the same administration went on to launch cordon and search operations in traditional PDP stronghold areas to terrorise our voters and prevent them from exercising their right to vote,” Mufti said in a post on X. “Ulta chor kotwal ko daante (the pot calling the kettle black),” she added. The FIR is based on a complaint filed by Assistant Returning Officer Srigufwara Bijbehara over MCC violations by Mufti. The complaint said on May 25, a huge number of PDP workers led by Mehbooba Mufti assembled in Bijbehara town and raised slogans for releasing the PDP workers, which amounted to a gross violation of MCC. It was alleged that the huge group of PDP workers also blocked the main road and staged a protest at main Bijbehara for more than one hour, which amounted to violations of Section 144 CrPC, which was imposed in the Anantnag Rajouri Constituency Order issued by the District Magistrate concerned. “As per Section 144 CrPC, the gathering of four people is restricted during the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) up to June 4. Hence, in violation of the above order, it is requested that necessary action be initiated under the rules against Madam Mehbooba Mufti along with his workers who are identified by the concerned Police Authority,“ the complaint to the police read. Following this, a case under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 126 of the Representation of People Act under 1950, 1951, and 1989 was registered at the police station in Bijbehara.
