This Article is From Oct 17, 2019

Farooq Abdullah's Sister, Daughter Released After 30 Hours In Prison

Refusing to comment upon her release from the Srinagar prison, Safiya Abdullah only held up her elbow to show a stamp denoting her release.

Safiya Abdullah refused to speak to the media after her release from prison.

Srinagar:

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's sister Suraiya and daughter Safiya were among 13 women agitators released from the Srinagar central jail on Wednesday evening, a day after they were arrested for holding a sit-in protest at Srinagar's Pratap Park.  

They were taken into judicial custody on Tuesday, while protesting against the centre's action of scrapping Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the constitution and bifurcating it into two union territories.

"We enjoyed our time in jail," one of the protesters said sarcastically, after their release over 30 hours later. Another told NDTV that "women should not be put in jail for protesting".  

Safiya Abdullah, however, wasn't as expressive about her experience. "I'm not speaking," she said, holding up her elbow to show a stamp denoting her release.

The arrested women were released after they furnished a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and surety of Rs 40,000 each under section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code along with an assurance that they would "maintain the peace", news agency PTI quoted officials as saying.

While Farooq Abdullah continues to remain in house arrest nearly three months after the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, his son -- National Conference leader Omar Abdullah -- is housed at the Hari Niwas state guest house in Srinagar. Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti has also been detained.

While Pakistan has tried to internationalise the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, India maintains that it is an "internal matter" that other countries should not interfere in. Consequently, ties between the two countries have dipped to a new low since then.

(With inputs from PTI)

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