Mehbooba Mufti Withdraws "Banta Hai" Remark After Pellet Gun Controversy

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday apologised for her controversial "banta hai" remark over the use of force against protesters, saying her comments were incomplete and that she never intended to justify violence against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister's statement came after her remarks at the Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi triggered criticism from political opponents, including Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and leaders of the National Conference.

Mufti had joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi last week, where she criticised the police action against student demonstrators and compared it with past security operations in Jammu and Kashmir. While discussing the use of force, she said that such action in Kashmir could be understood because of the presence of militancy, adding that the situation in Delhi was different as the protesters were not militants and were not carrying weapons. Her remarks, particularly the phrase "magar wahan militancy hai, uska ek banta hai", sparked a political controversy.

Initially, the PDP claimed that a video clip of the remarks circulating online was AI-generated. However, Mufti later acknowledged the statement and issued an apology, saying that her words were incomplete and may have hurt people who consider her their own. "If my people have been hurt by my words, then it is because they consider me as their own. They get hurt even because of a minor mistake. I apologise for that," she said.

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The controversy intensified after several political leaders accused Mufti of appearing to justify the use of force during the 2016 unrest in Kashmir, when she was heading the PDP-BJP coalition government as Chief Minister. Opponents referred to the deaths and injuries during that period, including allegations of widespread pellet gun injuries among protesters. They also revived earlier remarks made by Mufti during a 2016 press conference with then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh regarding young protesters killed during the unrest.

National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq criticised Mufti's apology, calling it insufficient and demanding an unconditional apology from the PDP leader. He also targeted PDP MLA Wahid ur Rehman Parra, who had earlier claimed that the video clip was AI-generated. Sadiq alleged that Mufti was attempting to distance herself from the controversy after public backlash.

The remarks have added to tensions between political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, with the National Conference and other groups continuing to question Mufti's statements and past positions on security operations. The PDP has maintained that Mufti's intention was to highlight differences between handling civilian protests and security challenges involving militancy, rather than justify violence against civilians.

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