Activist held for ‘offending’ Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner released

Srinagar, June 16

A Kashmiri political activist who was arrested for making comments that upset the Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner has been released, officials said on Wednesday.

Sajad Rashid Sofi (50) was released on Tuesday as he had a clean record, an official said. He was jailed after he told an adviser to the Lt Governor that he had hopes from a Kashmiri official like him rather than bureaucrats from outside, remarks that offended the Ganderbal DC, who is an IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh.

‘Outsider’ remark

Sajad Rashid Sofi was jailed after he said at a ‘janta darbar’ that he had hopes from Kashmiri officials rather than bureaucrats from outside

The remark offended the Ganderbal DC, an IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh

After being arrested under Section 153 (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code, Sofi, a resident of Wani Mohalla in Safapora area of Ganderbal district, was granted bail by a court. However, he was kept under preventive detention for allegedly being a "threat to peace".

Sofi made the remarks at a ‘janta darbar’ of Lt Governor's adviser Baseer Khan at Mansbal on June 10.

Speaking about the problems faced by the people of his area, Sofi had told Khan he could understand the issues better as compared to officers from outside the union territory because he was a local, according to the police report. The comment did not go down well with Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner Krittika Jyotsna, a 2014 IAS officer. — PTI