Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti strongly criticized the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday for detaching the residence of late separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Hyderpora, Budgam district. The house, previously serving as the headquarters for Geelani’s outfit Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, remains home to his 80-year-old widow.
Talking to reporters in Anantnag, Mufti branded the police action “unfortunate and inhuman.” She emphasized, “Today is Gandhi Ji’s day. He once said he saw a ray of light in Kashmir when the whole of Asia was burning. Now the same Kashmir is seen as criminal, its people as criminals, their homes and businesses as criminals.” In her view, the government’s measures are turning ordinary citizens into targets.
Mufti expressed deep concern for Geelani’s widow and chastised the authorities for their insensitivity. She stated, “Geelani Sahib has left this world, but his widow lives there. You might have differences with him, just as we have with RSS ideology, but attaching his home is inhuman.” Drawing attention to the BJP’s protests in Bihar over perceived insults, she rightly questioned, “Here, even an 80-year-old widow has not been spared.”
Furthermore, Mufti warned that such actions only exacerbate the existing alienation in the region. She said, “By attaching Geelani’s house, you are not reducing distances but widening them. You banned JEI schools, you targeted madrasas, now you attach homes. What have you made of Kashmir?”
Mufti continued with her critique, drawing parallels between the situation in Kashmir and other global conflicts. She highlighted, “Even Israel and Hamas are attempting dialogue, but in Kashmir—where people stood with you in 1947—you are criminalising them. This is very bad.”
The police, on Wednesday, stated they had executed this action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Officials confirmed that the three-story house, located on one kanal and one marla of land on Airport Road, had previously been used by Geelani to operate his organization. In 2023, the Union Home Ministry declared Tehreek-e-Hurriyat a banned organization, citing its efforts to incite terrorism and spread anti-India propaganda. Geelani passed away at this same residence in September 2022 and was laid to rest nearby.
Continuing her focus on the ruling party, Mufti accused the BJP of inciting communal hatred to divert attention from their governance failures. She lamented, “They have no jobs, no hospitals, no roads. So they divide Hindus and Muslims to seek votes. What should I say about Yogi Ji, Bulldozer Baba? May God give them wisdom.”
