‘Kashmiris have been caged like animals & deprived of basic human rights’
Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter in letter to Amit Shah
Srinagar, Aug 16: Iltija Mufti, the daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, has said in an open letter that Kashmir has been engulfed in "clouds of darkness" ever since the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and feared for the safety of Kashmiris.
In the open letter purportedly written by Iltija, she said that she was also detained despite being a law-abiding citizen and hope that she was not punished for raising questions about her fundamental rights.
"Kashmir is engulfed in clouds of darkness and I fear for the safety of its people including those who spoke up. We Kashmiris are reeling in despair since the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August, 2019," she said.
Iltija said that her mother Mehbooba was detained, along with scores of other elected representatives, the very same day and it has been over 10 "long agonising days since this crippling curfew was imposed".
"The valley is gripped with fear because all forms of communication have been snapped thereby debilitating an entire population. Today while the rest of the country celebrates India's Independence Day, Kashmiris have been caged like animals & deprived of basic human rights," she said in the letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Iltija, however, said in the letter that she could not post the letter as the postal service was not functioning in the Kashmir Valley.
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Man held for cheating IT official by posing as 'parrot astrologer'
Bengaluru (PTI): A 59-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping an Income Tax department official by posing as a "parrot astrologer" and promising career growth and better life through rituals, police said on Wednesday.
With the arrest of the accused astrologer Shekar, police claimed to have recovered gold ornaments weighing 124 grams and silver articles weighing 796 grams, with a total value of Rs 20.60 lakh.
The matter came to light after the victim, who is a senior administrative officer in the Income Tax department, lodged a complaint at Bharatinagar police station here on March 5, police said.
According to police, in the complaint, the victim stated that while passing near Sri Circle, he was approached by a person claiming to practise parrot astrology. The accused called him over, claimed he could predict the future by looking at his face, and convinced him to perform a ritual.
Initially, the accused collected Rs 50,000 from the complainant. Later, he allegedly told the victim that an elaborate ritual was necessary for career promotion, transfer, and overall improvement in life, and threatened that failure to do so would bring misfortune, he alleged.
"Under this pretext, the accused took 194 grams of gold ornaments and 1.3 kg of silver articles from the complainant, assuring they would be returned after the ritual," police said.
When the complainant later demanded the return of the valuables, the accused allegedly threatened him, they said.
During the investigation, police gathered credible information and apprehended the accused near Cantonment Railway Station on March 12 and upon interrogation, he confessed to committing the offence with the intention of making quick money, a senior police officer said.
He was produced before a court on March 13 and taken into police custody for five days.
During sustained questioning, the accused revealed that he had sold the stolen gold and silver items at a jewellery shop in Halasuru. Based on his information, police recovered 124 grams of gold ornaments and 796 grams of silver articles from the shop on March 15, valued at Rs 20.60 lakh, the officer said.
The accused was again produced before the court on March 17 and was remanded to judicial custody, he added.
