SRINAGAR: After police registered an FIR against her for sharing an old video of late Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on social media, the X handle of PDP leader Iltija Mufti has been blocked in India.
Users attempting to access Iltija’s X handle from India view the message that the account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.
The withholding of her X account has taken place after Cyber Police Kashmir on April 30 registered an FIR against her for sharing an old video of late hardline separatist leader Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani on the significance of Urdu on her X account.
“May not concur with Geelani Sahab’s ideology, but this old video of him stressing the importance of Urdu very well makes sense in addition to other reasons. Worth a watch,” Iltija had posted while sharing the video.
Police registered FIR No. 11 against her under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 152, 196(1), and 353(1)(b), (c), and (2), dealing with cognizable offences.
The PDP criticised the withholding of Iltija’s account, describing it as an attack on democratic freedoms and freedom of expression.
In a statement posted on X, the party said it raises serious concerns about freedom of expression and suppression of democratic voices.
“Transparency and accountability are essential in a democracy. Silencing voices will not silence the issues,” the party further said.
Iltija had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Assembly elections from the PDP stronghold of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. She lost to National Conference candidate Basheer Veeri.