Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s granddaughter Iltija Mufti on Tuesday alleged that she was prevented from visiting his grave on his death anniversary, PTI reported. Iltija Mufti’s mother, Mehbooba Mufti, is Sayeed’s daughter and had succeeded him in the chief minister’s post after his death in 2016.
Iltija Mufti also demanded on Tuesday that her security cover be withdrawn, claiming she was manhandled at the gate of the graveyard. She had approached the Jammu and Kashmir administration last week, seeking permission to visit the grave of her grandfather at Bijbehara in Anantnag district of South Kashmir.
“Not only was I stopped but I was also manhandled by the security personnel who are supposedly posted for my protection,” Iltija Mufti told PTI. “I have suffered bruises on my arms and legs.”
She said she will ask the Special Security Group’s director to withdraw her cover. “If the security is not withdrawn within a couple of days, I will move court,” Iltija Mufti added. She said it was ironic that the Centre was asserting that everything was normal in Kashmir, while she could not visit her grandfather’s grave.
The Peoples Democratic Party had last week applied for permission to hold a prayer meeting at the Bijbehara grave, but the permission was denied, PTI reported.
The Centre had abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on August 5, bifurcated it into two Union Territories, and placed the erstwhile state under a lockdown.
Mehbooba Mufti, along with former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, was placed under house arrest, and remain so even today. The Centre has also been reluctant to allow politicians from outside Kashmir to visit the Union Territory.
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