Srinagar, Nov 17 (KNO): After remaining incarcerated for more than three months at Centaur Hotel in Srinagar, the mainstream politicians who were detained on August 5, were on Sunday shifted to MLA Hostel here.
Over two dozen mainstream political leaders associated with different political parties here were detained at Centaur Hotel since August 5, when the government in centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370) and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories.
The leaders include three former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir-Dr Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. The other leaders include PC Chairman Sajjad Gani Lone, Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) President Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen, NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mubarak Gul, Altaf Kaloo, PDP leaders Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Mohamamd Ashraf Mir, Zahoor Mir, Aijaz Ahmad Mir and former bureaucrat-turned-politician and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) Chief Dr. Shah Faesal and others.
Sources told the wire service –Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the leaders were shifted in view of the shivering cold in Kashmir as well as the hefty amount so far spent on them at Centaur Hotel.
It was also learnt from the sources that the former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti who was detained at a tourist hut was shifted to a government bungalow near Sangramal Shopping complex.
Meanwhile, in a series of tweets by Mehbooba’s daughter through the official twitter handle of her mother, alleged that the caged leaders including Sajad Lone, Waheed Para and Shah Faesal were roughed up by the police.
“SKICC detainees shifted to MLA hostel, Srinagar today. Police manhandled them & roughed up Sajad Lone, Waheed Para & Shah Faesal. Is this how you treat elected representatives? Why humiliate them? J&K is under martial law & police seems be inebriated with power,” Mehbooba tweeted.
“Manhandling started when Sajad Lone was repeatedly frisked & asked to undress. New jail windows are blocked with wood,lacks heaters & has surveillance jammers.
If a man who PM Modi called his younger brother is being humiliated like this, imagine plight of others,” she said in her second tweet. “Sajad Lone, former separatist turned mainstream political leader stuck his neck out for PM in 2014 when there was no palpable Modi wave. Lone sahabs aged mother refuses to leave Srinagar despite the crippling cold because her son is jailed. Is this humane?”
“The same Waheed Para whose work for strengthening democracy in J&K was lauded by former Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh.The very same Shah Faesal who was called Kashmir’s role model when he topped UPSC exam. Once appreciated & now humiliated. Why?”
However, police denied the allegations, terming it as baseless. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Security & Law and Order, Munir Ahmad Khan told the wire service –Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the allegations levelled by the former chief minister is ‘baseless’.
He said that proper security drill and norms were followed while shifting these leaders to the MLA hostel from Centaur here. Khan further stated that no such incident has taken place during shifting these leaders. (KNO)