#ElectionEthics: PDP Chief Booked for Sit-In Protest on Voting Day

Ulta chor kotwal ko daante, says Mehbooba after FIR against her for violating prohibitory orders by holding protest in Bijbehara against the detention of PDP polling agents on May 25

Election authorities in Kashmir have registered an FIR against former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for violating the model code of conduct, officials said on Wednesday.

The FIR has been registered against Mehbooba for violating Section 144 after she and her party workers held a protest sit-in in the Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the officials said.

The PDP president termed the registration of the FIR against her “amusing”. “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 (Government of India) in cahoots with the local administration for detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents and workers in the hours leading up to voting,” she said.

“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. Ulta chor kotwal ko daante (Pot calling the kettle black),” Mehbooba posted on X.

The officials said that the protest was a gross violation of the model code of conduct. “The huge group of PDP workers also blocked the main road and staged a protest at the main stop Bijbehara (for) more than one hour which amounts (to) violations of the Section 144, CrPC, which was imposed in the constituency,” the FIR said.

The election authorities had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC from 6pm on May 23 till 6pm on May 25 due to polling in the constituency.

The prohibitory orders ban unlawful assembly or procession or rally to prevent any law and order problem.