Omar should've raised Kathua, Sopore deaths with Amit Shah, Mehbooba

Omar Abdullah should have raised the death of two youths in Sopore and Kathua during his meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said.

"There were two deaths recently. A truck driver Waseem was killed in army firing from close range, the doctors have confirmed it, and the other was 25-year Old Makhan Din who was tortured by police so much that he committed suicide.

"In such a situation, we had expected that the chief minister would raise this issue with the Home Minister during his recent meeting," Mufti told reporters.

The former chief minister also flagged police brutality in the Union Territory, demanding that they be indicted.

"He should have raised this issue with the Home Minister and told him that the militancy has to be fought against but if an innocent is harmed by an army personnel, that personnel should be identified and punished. We are not saying that the entire army is bad

"There are complaints against the SHO in Billawar that he is arresting youth and extorting money from them. Those who do not pay, he locks them up in militancy cases. You must have seen the video of Makhan Din. It was terrifying," she said.

Mufti said that while striving for restoration of statehood was all good, the right to life should be given preference.

"Statehood will be restored –- if not today, tomorrow or sometime later. However, statehood will matter when people have (right to) life. So, I think Omar sahib should have raised this issue with the Home Minister," she said.

On being not permitted the youth's family in Sopore, Mufti said she cannot allow her party to be treated like a militant organisation.

"PDP is an opposition party, we are not a militant organisation. It is our duty and right to stand with the victims of any injustice. On the day of these incidents, I wanted to visit Sopore and Iltija wanted to go to Billawar.

"However, without any information or reasoning, our gate was locked and we were not allowed to move out. What is this?" she said.