Kashmiris are considered guilty until proven innocent: Mehbooba Mufti
“But GOI doesn’t want an enquiry against a cop, caught red-handed with militants,” Mehbooba Mufti said, and questioned, “Is it because he colluded with the system to orchestrate certain dodgy incidents?”
NEW DELHI — Mehbooba Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party president and former chief minister, on Monday stated that until they are proven innocent, Kashmiris are presumed guilty.
On her official Twitter handle, Mehbooba also shared an order (Government Order No. 451-JK(GAD) of 2021; Dated: 20-05-2021), issued for the dismissal of DySP Devender Singh and said that the Government of India doesn’t want an enquiry over his association with the militant outfits in the valley.
“Innocent Kashmiris arrested under anti-terror laws rot in jails for years. For them, the trial becomes the punishment. But GOI doesn’t want an enquiry against a cop, caught red-handed with militants,” Mehbooba Mufti said, and questioned, “Is it because he colluded with the system to orchestrate certain dodgy incidents?”
She went on to claim that Kashmiris are considered guilty until proven innocent. “Whether for government’s job or even a passport, they are subjected to the worst kind of scrutiny. But when a policeman is known to have facilitated militants, he is let off the hook. The double standards & dirty games are obvious,” she added.
Notably, National Investigation Agency (NIA) had already submitted a chargesheet against Davinder Singh in July 2020. His name was included in the chargesheet against six people, including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant Syed Naveed.
In June 2020, NIA had confirmed that it had “adequate evidence” against the cop and would be filing a charge-sheet against him in due course of time. He was arrested under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
However, as per an order issued by the administration in the UT, “All the field units of CID SB-Kashmir are hereby directed to ensure that during verification related to passport service and any other verification related to government services, schemes, the subject’s involvement in law and order, stone pelting cases and other crime prejudicial to the security of the State be specifically looked into and same must be corroborated from local police station records.”
The decision empowers J&K Police to deny security clearance to those ‘involved in crimes prejudicial to the security of the State, including stone-pelting” is expected to affect hundreds of families in Kashmir, where the official list of street protesters grew to around 20,000 in 2017.
