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SRINAGAR: Heavy deployment of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel was reported outside the residences of political leaders Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Waheed Para and Junaid Azim Mattu.
The Office of MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi confirmed the presence of armed police personnel outside his residence. In a post shared on social media platform X, the MP’s office questioned whether the deployment amounted to a pre-emptive crackdown to silence a peaceful, pro-student demonstration.
The statement said the authorities owed the public an explanation for the deployment and asserted that plans for the student sit-in remained unchanged despite the heightened security presence.
A close aide of MLA Pulwama Waheed Para posted about his arrest. He allegedly said the MLA has been placed under house arrest. The post questioned the rationale behind restricting movement ahead of the proposed sit-in, calling it a weaponisation of dissent.
Mattu, a former mayor of Srinagar, also said in a post on social media on X that security forces had been deployed outside his residence hours before his announced participation in a student protest scheduled for Sunday. He described the deployment as excessive and alleged that it was aimed at curbing voices seeking justice.
“A heavy JKP and CRPF deployment outside my residence right now ahead of my participation in the student sit-in tomorrow,” Mattu said, adding that curbing dissent could not lend legitimacy or permanence to any policy. He said he stood with the students.
Photographs and CCTV visuals shared online showed police vehicles and armed personnel stationed near the residences late at night. The police have not yet confirmed any of the claims.
The student sit-in, which the leaders have expressed support for, is expected to take place on Sunday. The students are protesting for rationalisation of the reservation in Jammu and Kashmir.Jammu and Kashmir tourism
The government has formed a committee to revise the reservation quota; however, the results have not been shared publicly. Several MLAs have said that the report lies with Raj Bhavan and the government has done its job.
