"Biggest Threat Is...": Mehbooba Mufti Stopped From Meeting Families Of Civilians Killed In J&K

Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), was stopped by the police on DKG road in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir due to security concerns on Saturday. She was en route to meet the families of victims near the location of an anti-terrorist operation in the Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mehbooba Mufti and her supporters were seen in a scuffle with several police officers as she and her supporters were trying to proceed.

Following the incident, Mehbooba and her supporters staged a protest, expressing dissatisfaction with the situation.

Mufti criticized the restrictions imposed on her, pointing out that leaders from other political parties had been allowed to visit the area. She questioned the perceived threat and suggested that the real issue might be an attempt to conceal information.

"BJP president Ravinder Raina can come here; National Conference leaders can come but they tell us that there is some threat here. I think the biggest threat here is these people. They don't want us to meet those families. They are trying to hide something then," Mufti said.

The Indian Army said that it is conducting an inquiry into the deaths of three civilians in the Poonch-Rajouri sector, where militants launched an attack on army personnel on December 21, killing four soldiers.

Amid the recent increase in attacks on its troops, the Indian Army is planning to increase the number of troops deployed in the Poonch-Rajouri sector to curb the activities of the Pakistani terrorists there.

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also met the families of three civilians killed in the Poonch sector.

After meeting the defence minister, the brother of the victim, Noor Mohammad, said that Rajnath Singh had assured them of justice.

"We told him about the incident, and he assured us justice would be done. Whatever happened to us was bad, and he assured us that justice would be given. We hope it will be done," Mohammad said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Sadiq, uncle of the victim, said that justice should be given in quick time.

"Justice should be done and justice should be given in a timely manner. We welcome the Defence Minister, who came and met us and assured us of justice," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)