Mehbooba Mufti should visit Tihar Jail to ensure Kashmiri inmates' welfare: Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday demanded that Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti should visit Tihar Jail to find out the condition of Kashmiri inmates there.

Interacting with media at his party’s ‘Nawa-e-Subha’ headquarters in Srinagar, he said, “The chief minister should visit Tihar Jail and ensure the safety of Kashmiris lodged there.”

“She should also initiate a process of shifting these prisoners back to jails within the state while the cases against them are processed. The rule of law is supreme and under the same rule of law, every detainee has unquestionable and non-negotiable rights,” he said.

Demanding that all juvenile detainees be treated strictly in accordance with the juvenile justice system, the former chief minister also condemned the reported incidents of assault on Kashmiri detainees at Tihar Jail.

“Reports about these assaults are extremely condemnable and unacceptable. Irrespective of their political affiliation and ideology or the nature of cases against them, the detainees have human rights and these are detailed in the jail manual,” he said.

Mehbooba on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the reported incidents of harassment and physical torture of Kashmiris lodged in the national capital’s jail.

She also spoke to Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba and asked him to probe these incidents.

Officials in Srinagar said that Gauba assured her that these incidents will be probed and promised strict action against those found guilty of such offences.