KO Photo: Abid Bhat
Srinagar: Several PDP leaders were on Thursday detained by police as they tried to stage a protest against the new land laws notified by the Centre for Jammu and Kashmir.
PDP leader Khursheed Alam, party spokesman Suhail Bukhari and youth president Waheed Parra were among those detained by police as they came out of the party’s Srinagar office at Sher-e-Kashmir Municipal Park, officials said.
The party leaders wanted to hold a protest rally against the amendments made to the land laws of the Jammu and Kashmir by the Centre on Tuesday which allow people from other parts of the country to buy land in the region.
The mainstream parties of Kashmir have decried the amendments and termed the move akin to putting Jammu and Kashmir up for sale.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tried to reach the PDP office, but was asked by the police to return to her residence.
Addressing reporters at her Gupkar residence, Mehbooba said the party leaders were protesting the new land laws, but no one was allowed to speak in Kashmir.
“Our protest was against the laws passed for looting the resources of Jammu and Kashmir But no one is allowed to speak here,” she said accusing the BJP of pursuing communal agenda.
“PDP’s @parawahid, Khurshid Alam, Rouf Bhat, @MohsinQayoom_ & @buttkout were arrested by J&K police for protesting against the settler colonial land laws thrusted upon people of J&K. We will continue to raise our voice collectively & won’t tolerate attempts to change demographics, the PDP leader tweeted earlier.
Meanwhile, all the detained leaders were released from police station Kothi Bagh after signing surety bonds at a local court here, a local news agency KDC reported.
An order issued in this regard by Executive Magistrate Ist Class ( Tehsildar South Srinagar) reads, ” Surety persons have appeared before this court and gave written surety bonds to the tune of Rs 10,000 As such you are hereby directed to release the accused persons who are under judicial custody.”
All the nineteen accused PDP leaders have been told to remain present before the Court on 5th November.
Those who have signed surety bonds include Khursheed Alam, Ab Hameed Kohsheen, Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, Ab. Rouf Bhat, Tahir Syed, Mohammad Yaseen Bhat, Mohsin Quyoom Wani, Bilal Ahmad Pandith, Arif Laigaroo, Mohd Umar Dar, Mustakeen Khan, Shahnawaz Ahmad Mir, Dr. Harbakash Singh, Suhail Bukhari, Mohit Bhan, Touseef Shah, Umer Dar, Ghulam Rasool Dar, and Mohd Altaf Bhat.
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