Police Book MP Ruhullah, Former SMC Mayor Over ‘Misleading’ Content | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Police in Srinagar have registered formal cases against Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu over the alleged circulation of false and inflammatory content on digital and social media platforms.

In a statement, a police spokesperson said the action followed credible inputs regarding the dissemination of fabricated and misleading material intended to create fear, disturb public order and incite unlawful activities. The content, prima facie, involved distorted narratives and unverified information capable of causing public unrest and societal disharmony, posing a threat to peace, security and overall stability, the spokesperson said.

FIR No. 02/2026 and FIR No. 03/2026 have been registered under Sections 197(1)(d) and 353(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Cyber Police Station, Srinagar. Investigations in both cases are under way.

Reacting on X, Mehdi said he was neither intimidated by the action nor concerned about the absence of security personnel around him. “Some fools in Jammu and Kashmir Police and administration think that by withdrawing/downgrading my security detail and suspending my Facebook account will stop me from calling out their atrocities. It is laughable!” he wrote. He added that as a citizen, he would exercise his rights “to stand up against your atrocities, violation of laws, freedom and democracy given to us by the constitution, to the last drop of my blood”, and said, “My father was martyred standing for his people. That’s what fascinates me. That’s my course.”

Mattu, who was also named in the same FIR, claimed his security cover had been withdrawn over his statements on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel attack. “For my statements on Iran and Ayatullah Syed Ali Khamenei’s martyrdom, and for speaking against the BJP-led government’s moral abdication and deafening silence on the issue of the illegitimate barbaric onslaught on Iran by the US and Israel — my security has just been effectively withdrawn with immediate effect. A measure aimed to silence me,” he posted on X.

He further wrote that as a mainstream Kashmiri politician, “you have to be shamefully neutral and silent in the face of Israel massacring young school girls and assassinating a head of state or face consequences in ‘New India’”, adding, “Or you have to issue statements pontificating to the mourners while praising the administration and the police. Sorry, I can’t do either of these things.” Mattu said the measures aimed to “suppress my voice” but would not stop him from speaking up for humanity, justice and seeking answers from the country’s leadership on Iran.

Meanwhile, police reiterated their commitment to maintaining public peace and law and order, urging citizens to verify information through official and credible sources before sharing content online and to refrain from circulating unverified material. Further legal action will follow as warranted under law, the statement said.