Security forces breaking into homes, violating people’s privacy: Mehbooba; police deny charge

Srinagar, May 18 (PTI) PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday alleged that security forces were breaking into homes and violating the privacy of people ahead of the G-20 summit in Kashmir.

Mehbooba’s remarks came after Sehar Shabir Shah, the daughter of jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah, said security forces conducted searches at her home.

“Right before G20 in Kashmir, security forces are breaking into homes, ransacking and violating the privacy of people here. As if the existing repression in Kashmir wasn’t enough, GOIs paranoia about G20 has unleashed bigger demons. Even women are not being spared,” the PDP chief said in a tweet.

Sehar had alleged that security forces entered her house and searched every inch of it “and left a mess everywhere”.

“Our rooms are entirely messed, with all of the almirahs open and everything else thrown throughout. I’m disgusted by how everything has been destroyed. My mother was intimidated as they left and warned that they would return,” she had tweeted.

However, police said the searches were routine security measures which had no connection with the G-20 event and there was no harassment or harm caused to the family members.

“There are tweets by daughter of separatist Shabir Shah claiming harassment during search operation. It is clarified that it was search of 20 houses, when inputs of movement of terrorists in this locality came. This has nothing to do with G20 but is routine in case of inputs,” the Srinagar Police said in a series of tweets.

“No harassment/harm whatsoever was caused during this search and all SOPs were followed,” it added.

The police said, “The lady is strangely linking this with G-20, more strange is an ex-CM linking this too with the event, when she herself was privy to such search in particular locality due to terrorist sighting,”

The search team was having three DySPs, four lady officials and others, the police said, adding, “Such attempts of forwarding malicious agenda of attributing routine security measures to an event by family of a separatist undergoing jail in a terror funding case shows sheer frustration of some vested interests”.