Arrest Of Kashmiri Activist Result Of "Unbridled" Bureaucratic Powers: Omar Abdullah

It's unacceptable that a person should be jailed for expressing a "totally harmless" opinion, Omar Abdullah said.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the arrest of a Kashmiri political activist over his remarks that he has more expectations from local officials rather than those from outside is the result of "unbridled" bureaucratic powers. It's unacceptable that a person should be jailed for expressing a "totally harmless" opinion, Mr Abdullah said. Fifty-year-old Sajad Rashi Sofi of Safapora in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district was arrested after he told LG advisor Baseer Khan at Mansbal at a ''Janta Darbar'' on June 10 that he can understand the issues of people of the area better as compared to officers from outside the union territory because he is a local. Sofi's remarks did not go down well with Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner Krittika Jyotsna, who is an IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh. According to the police report, she stood up from her seat and "strongly objected" to Sofi's comments.