Says democratic society cannot flourish where people continue to live under an environment of constant apprehension

The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has been placed under house arrest ahead of Martyrs’ Day observance in Srinagar, her daughter Iltija Mufti said on Sunday (July 12, 2026). “We have been placed under house arrest on the eve of Martyrs’ Day for reasons best known to J&K Police,” Ms. Iltija posted on X.

“This is the normalcy they claim to have established in Kashmir? Make no mistake the local government too is hand in glove using police in Sidhra to demolish homes and place opponents in detention when convenient,” Ms. Iltija alleged.

July 13 is commemorated as Martyrs’ Day in Jammu and Kashmir as a tribute to the 22 persons who were killed by the Dogra army outside Srinagar’s Central Jail in 1931. The L-G administration had dropped the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020.

The PDP also expressed “serious concern” over what it described as “the continuing atmosphere of fear and uncertainty prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir”.

At a meeting of the party’s core committee, a PDP spokesperson said: “Members noted that the persistent culture of raids, repeated searches and coercive measures has cast a shadow over normal civic life, creating a widespread sense of harassment and insecurity among ordinary citizens. The leadership observed that a democratic society cannot flourish where people continue to live under an environment of constant apprehension.”

The spokesperson said an in-depth discussion on the “unending trauma being faced by hundreds of families whose loved ones continue to languish in jails for prolonged periods, often without timely conclusion of trials, was held”.

“In several cases, even after courts grant bail, fresh cases are registered, resulting in continued incarceration. Such practices, the committee said, deepen public alienation and raise serious questions about the credibility of institutions that people expect would safeguard their constitutional and legal rights,” the spokesperson said.

The committee also condemned the restrictions imposed on the observance of Martyrs’ Day.