Why questions raised on J&K LG Manoj Sinha's claims about Mirwaiz?

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Governor Manoj Sinha claimed in an interview with the BBC that the president of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (M) (APHC), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, is not under house arrest, has caused considerable outrage. Police, he said, had been stationed outside Miswaiz's residence for his own safety, the LG added.

In the interview, questions were also asked about the arrest or detention of the president of the Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. In response to this question, leaders of different political parties are voicing their objections by writing on social media about what Deputy Governor Manoj Sinha said.

Among those who raised objections were the Hurriyat Conference, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former separatist leader Sajjad Lone.

In the interview, BBC correspondent Mukesh Sharma asked Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha that "people with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq say the administration has kept him under house arrest and the charges are not even known."

In response to this, Manoj Sinha said, "It wasn't even under the PSA (Public Security Act) in 2019. They haven't been shut down. His mother-in-law was also killed in an unfortunate way. The police surround them." so that they are safe, that they decide for themselves what they want to do, for our part they are neither under house arrest nor locked up.

Now, the Hurriyat Conference has rejected Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Governor Manoj Sinha's statement on the arrest of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Hurriyat has said in his statement that if Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is not in illegal detention, he should be allowed to speak on Friday August 26. Hurriyat has accused Manoj Sinha of deliberately spreading false information.

The Hurriyat Conference says Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been under house arrest for the past three years. At the same time, he also accused the Indian government of preventing him from participating in social and religious activities.

🚨 Statement: Hurriyat Conference refutes the deliberate misinformation spread by Manoj Sinha on the continuous detention of @MirwaizKashmir.

Let Mirwaiz be allowed to deliver the Friday Sermon on 26th Aug, if he has not been illegally detained.

cc: @BBCHindi https://t.co/vPmQjzGYHc

— Hurriyat 🕊️ (@HurriyatGlobal) August 19, 2022

The APHC led by Mirwaiz hit back saying that if he was not arrested, then they would allow him (Mirwaiz) to deliver the Friday sermon at the historic Jama Masjid next Friday.

"If the authorities have now decided to release Mirwaiz, may he be allowed to deliver Friday's sermon at Jama Masjid this Friday and not prevent people from gathering there to listen to him," APHC said in a press release.

APHC called LG's statement a blatant misrepresentation of the facts and the denial of his incarceration is "unbelievable."

“For the past three years, Mirwaiz has not been allowed to leave his home despite repeated calls and implorations from all sectors of the population to the authorities, including religious ulama from across the state,” APHC said.

He said that the journalistic and electronic media reports confirm this. “Except for close relatives, no one is allowed to enter Mirwaiz's house. How can you deny such facts and claim that he is not under house arrest?” APHC said.

APHC said that if authorities now want to release Mirwaiz, he is welcome, but giving such misleading face-saving statements is evil.

While responding to Manoj Sinha about Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also raised questions while tweeting a short part of the interview.

He wrote that 'Similarly, my colleagues were locked in their own homes on August 4, 2019 in the name of their safety for months. Similarly, whenever we find a truck parked outside our door, the entries suggest that Gupkar may be under attack.

The same way my colleagues were locked in their homes “for their own safety” for months on 4th Aug 2019 & the same way we get trucks parked outside our gates every once in a while because “inputs” suggest an attack on Gupkar road is imminent. https://t.co/AD4sS6S67J

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 19, 2022

Apart from this, former separatist leader Sajjad Lone has also called Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha a liar. He tweeted and wrote that 'LG sahib needs to confirm the facts. His statements do not tell the real truth. There is an old tradition of locking down leaders and then denying them. This has been going on for the last three decades.

I think LG sahib needs to verify facts. His statements don’t reflect reality.
May I humbly state that the tradition of locking up leaders and then denying is an old worn out tradition. It has been happening for the last 3 decades. https://t.co/6IEq16cLv3

— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) August 19, 2022

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