Mehbooba Mufti says she is under house arrest; Police denies restriction, says she is free to move

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday claimed that she has been placed under house arrest to prevent her from visiting north Kashmir's Pattan town. "While HM (Home Minister) is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy, I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker's wedding," she tweeted.

"If an ex CM's fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one can't even imagine the plight of a commoner," she added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public rally in Baramulla town later today.


However, almost 40 minutes later, the Srinagar Police tweeted that there were no restrictions on her travel to Pattan. The police even claimed that she herself had locked the gate from inside.

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 own lock of residents who stay in the bunglow (sic). There is no lock or any restrictions. She is free to travel".

They also put out pictures of her gate with no locks from the outside.

This was quickly rebutted by Mehbooba who said the SSP Baramulla had informed her Tuesday night that she would not be allowed to travel. She claimed that the police were "now lying through their teeth".

"I was informed last night by SP (SSP) Baramulla @bhatray that I wouldn't be allowed to travel to Pattan. Today @JmuKmrPolice 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," she said in a tweet.

(Inputs from PTI & IANS)