Mehbooba event ends in chaos

CM leaves in a huff as women participants raise pro-freedom slogans

Unabated unrest: Students throw stones at policemen during a clash in Srinagar on Tuesday.

In a major embarrassment to her government, a Tuesday event Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was to address at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre here ended in chaos as women raised pro-freedom slogans.

Ms. Mufti was scheduled to interact with members of self-help groups enrolled under the Central UMEED self-employment scheme in the event organised by the State Rural Development Department.

As many as 85,934 people are enrolled in the scheme in the State, and nearly 10,000 members drawn from various districts were present, an official said.

Around noon, when Ms. Mufti was seated on the dais in the lawns, hundreds of participants were seen running helter-skelter.

A rural development official told The Hindu that women participants raised slogans “without any provocation”. State Rural Development Minister Haq Khan was present.

Event wasn’t clear

However, many participants alleged that the programme was not made clear to them.

“We were told it was a training session and nothing more. However, it turned out to be a photo-op for Ms. Mufti. We were made to sit since the morning,” one of the participants said.

Scores of women were seen running towards the exit door and raising slogans to the discomfiture of the Chief Minister.

Several women were injured and one was shifted to hospital.

The day-long event, where participants were to share their success stories, lasted just 20 minutes, and Ms. Mufti had to leave the venue in a huff.

Members of the Special Security Guards were seen encircling Ms. Mufti to avoid security lapses.

Many participants tried to throw bottles and furniture at the venue.

Omar tweets

Commenting on the incident, Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister and National Conference working president, tweeted: “… participants came out shouting pro-freedom slogans. Ms. Mufti was doing what she does best, living in denial … I dread to imagine what lies Ms. Mufti tells to the Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi in private when she can’t even be honest about things everyone can see videos of.”

Mr. Abdullah said that this was what happened when government machinery was used for the sole purpose of “rebuilding Ms. Mufti’s non-existing credibility”.

Engineer Rashid, Independent MLA, said the disruption at the SKICC was a “reminder to the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) president Amit Shah that the J&K dispute is not about abrogating or strengthening Article 370”.

He alleged government employees and unemployed youth were “forced to attend so-called official functions to sell it as people’s faith in the current government and a sign of normalcy”.