PDP apologises for Mehbooba incident

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday night apologised for 'hurting sentiments of women' through the incident in which party president Mehbooba Mufti lifted a woman's veil, suspecting her of being a bogus voter, in Srinagar last week.

"If sentiments of women have been hurt by the incident, we apologise," senior party leader and Jammu and Kashmir Law Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig told PTI over phone from Srinagar.

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He, however, maintained that the woman, whose veil was lifted by Mehbooba at a polling booth on suspicion of her being a bogus voter on April 26, was in fact a 'doubtful voter'.

Claiming that the woman had given incoherent and contradictory answers when asked about her identity, Baig said, "Catching a thief is not a crime".

He said six 'burqa-clad' women had been apprehended along with 35 men on charges of indulging in bogus voting at various places in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on that day.

Meanwhile, party sources said the woman had come to the polling booth twice giving different names and citing different addresses and identity. She was ultimately not allowed to cast her vote as she failed to establish her identity convincingly.