People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti has alleged that she and her mother, Mehbooba Mufti, have been placed under house arrest. The move reportedly comes after Mehbooba was set to visit Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, where a civilian truck driver, Waseem Majeed Mir, was killed in army firing earlier this week.
Mir was shot by the army after he allegedly refused to stop at a checkpoint on Wednesday night. Iltija Mufti posted on Twitter: “My mother & I both have been placed under house arrest. Our gates have been locked up because she was meant to visit Sopore where Waseem Mir was shot dead by the army.”
“I intended to visit Kathua today to meet Makhan Din’s family & am not being allowed to even move out. Nothing has changed in Kashmir even after elections. Now even comforting the families of victims is being criminalised,” she continued.
Makhan Din, a 26-year-old from Batodi village in Kathua, who was accused of militant links, allegedly died by suicide on Wednesday due to police harassment. Police stated that Din was associated with the group responsible for the army convoy attack in Badnotta that killed four soldiers in July 2024.
Iltija Mufti’s tweet follows widespread political condemnation over the deaths. On Friday, Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed concern over “extra judicial killings” and rights violations, stating, “The unfortunate saga of extra judicial killings and rights violations of people of J&K continues as the perpetrators are never brought to the book. This cycle will never cease until accountability is established and justice delivered.”
Apni Party leader Altaf Bukhari has demanded an investigation into Mir’s death, calling for clarity on the “exact circumstances” surrounding the incident.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra also condemned the killing as a “very unfortunate and a matter of grave concern.”
In response, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that his government would initiate inquiries into both deaths and had already raised the issue with the Centre. “I have seen the reports of excessive use of force & harassment of Makhan Din in police custody in Billawar leading to his suicide and the death of Waseem Ahmed Malla, shot by the army under circumstances that are not entirely clear. Both these incidents are highly unfortunate and should not have happened,” he tweeted.
He also added, “J&K will never be completely normalised and free of terror without the cooperation of & partnership with the local population. Incidents like these risk alienating the very people who we need to carry with us on the road to complete normalcy.”