Iltija Mufti’s two PSOs suspended after her Kathua visit: Mehbooba

Jammu, Feb 10 (PTI) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said two personal security officers (PSOs) of her daughter Iltija Mufti have been placed under suspension after the young leader’s unscheduled visit to Kathua to meet the family of a youth, who died by suicide after police torture.

Makhan Din (25), a Gujjar youth from Billawar area of Kathua, ended his life by consuming insecticide at his home on Tuesday evening and recorded the act on a video claiming innocence. He denied any connection with terrorists, prompting separate probes by the police and the local administration.

On her return to Jammu after her visit on Sunday, Iltija demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident along with the killing of a truck driver Waseem Mir, who was shot dead by the Army after he jumped a check-post in Baramulla district of north Kashmir on Wednesday.

“Ironic and unfair that Iltija’s two PSOs have been suspended for no fault of their own. They were punished simply because Iltija managed to reach Kathua despite being confined to her home like a criminal,” Mehbooba, a former chief minister, said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, she said there has been no reported action against those responsible for the deaths of Mir or Din.

“The ruling NC (National Conference) government, which came to power promising to ensure security and dignity for the people, remains a silent observer. They thus are not only shirking from their responsibility but also thereby normalizing these unjust and abnormal actions,” Mehbooba said.

Iltija was not allowed to move out of the Jammu Circuit house by the police to address a press conference on Sunday evening.

Iltija’s visit to Kathua comes a day after she claimed that she and her mother had been placed under house arrest in Srinagar.