PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter has written a letter to Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu, requesting him to release all detainees including her mother amid Covid-19 outbreak.
In her letter to Murmu, Iltija Mufti said, “As you’re aware, thousands of Kashmiris including my mother Ms Mufti, ex-Chief Minister J&K have been jailed since August 5. As the world prepares to battle the deadly COVID (already declared a global pandemic by WHO), India in all likelihood has entered Stage 3 in which the virus spreads through community transmission. J&K has already reported 4 cases & the numbers will go up exponentially in the coming weeks.”
Saying that isolation is the best possible way to contain the outbreak, she added that overcrowded jails and lack of healthcare make detainees highly vulnerable to the deadly contagion. It could cause even bigger problems for senior citizens who above 65, Mufti added.
“There are hundreds of senior citizens from the Valley battling multiple ailments across jails in the country. Some of these detainees come from humble families where the members haven’t been able to afford a single trip to visit their sons and brothers lodged in jails outside Kashmir. You can well imagine their anxiety & concern in the wake of COVID pandemic,” she said.
She requested the Jammu and Kashmir LG to release all detainees immediately and all them to return home.