Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 15: A 50-year-old political activist from Safapora area in Ganderbal has been booked and is in jail despite court granting him bail. His crime; speaking against the Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal during the Public Darbar of one of the Advisors of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
Sajad Sofi, a resident of Wani Mohalla in Safapora area of Ganderbal district was booked under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code for speaking during a public interaction with Advisor Baseer Khan.
His relatives told Excelsior that the incident happened on June 10 and at 11 pm a police party arrived at his home and he was taken to Police Station as a case was already registered against him.
A local court granted him bail in a case registered against him for allegedly saying he had no expectations from officers who belong to outside Jammu and Kashmir posted here.
Sofi, who led a delegation of about half a dozen people to a public darbar told the Advisor that people could have expectations from local officials like him and seek answers from them but what could he hope from officers who belong to outside the region.
As per police report on the basis of which FIR has been registered against Sofi, he told Khan that they can have expectations from him because he was a Kashmiri and can understand people here. “I can grab you by the collar and seek answers. But what expectations can I have from officers who are outsiders”, he told Khan as per police report.
Sofi’s reference was towards Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Krittika Jyotsna, an IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. She is on deputation to J&K since February this year for a period of two years along with her husband Rahul Pandey, who is also an IAS officer and is the Director Information Department J&K.
Sofi’s remarks angered the Deputy Commissioner who stood up during the meeting and “strongly objected” to his remarks. Sofi was booked under section 153-A of the IPC and arrested soon after the meeting.
Sofi was granted bail by a Ganderbal court on Saturday. However, even after he was bailed out, the police took him into custody.
Police said he is in “preventive custody” for being a “threat to peace”. A Police official said that he is under preventive custody under Section 107 and 151 (of IPC). He said there were apprehensions of breach of peace, so he (Sofi) was taken into custody.
His relatives said that they are expecting his release but was still in Police Station Safapora when the report was filed tonight.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
