People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Saturday alleged that she and her mother, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, have been placed under house arrest. This comes after Mehbooba planned to visit Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, where a civilian truck driver was killed earlier this week in an army firing incident.
In a post on X, Iltija Mufti stated, “My mother & I both have been placed under house arrest. Our gates have been locked up because she was meant to visit Sopore, where Waseem Mir was shot dead by the army.” She also claimed that she was being prevented from visiting Kathua to meet the family of Makhan Din, a victim, and criticized the situation, saying, “Nothing has changed in Kashmir even after elections. Now even comforting the families of victims is being criminalised.”
The incident she referred to occurred when a truck driver was shot dead by the army after allegedly refusing to stop at a checkpoint in Baramulla on the night of February 5. Security forces had established a Mobile Vehicle Check Post (MVCP) due to intelligence reports about potential terrorist movements. When a suspicious truck failed to stop despite repeated warnings, security forces pursued it for over 23 kilometers. Shots were fired at the truck’s tires, causing it to halt. The injured driver was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead.
The Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, in a post on X, clarified the incident, stating that the truck was suspected to be carrying terrorists and did not obey commands to stop. “On February 5, based on very specific intelligence inputs about the movement of terrorists, a Mobile Vehicle Check Post (MVCP) was established by security forces. A suspicious speeding civil truck was spotted, which did not stop despite repeated warnings and instead accelerated. The troops pursued the vehicle for over 23 kilometers, and shots were fired at the tires to force it to stop. After a detailed search, the injured driver was evacuated to GMC Baramulla, where he was declared dead,” the statement said.
