J&K NGO Volunteer Dubbed OGW, Slapped With PSA Day After He Flags Poor Waste Management

A volunteer of a noted NGO in Jammu and Kashmir was booked under PSA for allegedly being an OGW. Reports Amir Tantray.

Jammu:A member of Ababeel, one of the most active NGOs of Jammu and Kashmir was slapped with the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) in Doda district for allegedly being an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of militants even as his colleague claims he was falsely booked for raising public issues.

According to family sources, Rehmatullah Padder was arrested from his house in the Akramabad area of Doda around 5 am on November 10 and was driven to Kot Bhalwal jail in the outskirts of Jammu.

A November 9 dossier prepared by the district administration in Doda termed Padder an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of militants. As per the dossier, there are five FIRs registered against the accused at Doda Police Station.

Two FIRs of 2016 were registered against him for allegedly delivering provocative speeches and inciting youth to anti-national activities and three FIRs were against alleged assault and entering the house of complainants.

One daily diary and one istagasawere registered against him in August this year. In the daily diary, it has been mentioned that the accused used mobile applications and the Internet to communicate with people across the border and got involved in anti-national activities.

Talking to ETV Bharat, Advocate Babar Hassan Nehru, a volunteer of Ababeel NGO, claimed Padder has been booked falsely for raising the issues concerning the public.

"He recently raised an issue of a sewerage treatment plant near the Akramabad area of Doda town where he exposed the corruption and bungling of lakhs of rupees. He was also vocal against a government employee Anirudh Bhau, who stormed into the shops of Muslim shopkeepers during the night in August alleging that the shopkeepers were selling beef," Babar said.

"The action against Rahmatullah seems to be politically motivated as a party which is in command from top to bottom and another party which has recently come to power has been after him since Aam Aadmi Party leader Mehraj Malik won the elections from the Doda seat. Rahmatullah, in a video, had asked people to vote for inquilaband this slogan belonged to Mehraj Malik," he added.

Ababeel NGO has been active in the recent past helping the needy in different areas of the Union Territory. After the deadly fire in the Malwarwan area of Kishtwar district, Ababeel was the first to reach there and help people.

ETV Bharat tried to contact Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh and even sent queries on his phone but there was no response from him. SSP Doda Muhammad Aslam also did not respond to queries by this reporter. This story will be updated as soon as they or any other official responds.

MLA Doda Mehraj Malik told ETV Bharat that Padder had been booked for merely raising social issues.

"One should ask DC Doda why Rehmatullah has been slapped with PSA as he had raised the issue of the sewerage treatment plant. DC should respond as where Rehmatullah became a hindrance in implementing steps which are beneficial for the society," Malik said. He alleged, "This is a politically motivated step taken by the district administration."

Malik recently took to X to express resentment over Padder's arrest and the failure of the local administration to effectively implement the Swach Bharat Mission in the district.

In one of the posts, the AAP MLA wrote, "Crores spent on solid/ Plastic waste mgmt (management), segregation shed, compost pits during LG rule under SBM, yet the reality is here, cattle grazing in waste, posing health and environmental threats to the adjoining community. Urgent action needed! This is in Akramabad Doda".

In another post, he targeted the administration over Padder's arrest for merely raising a civic issue.

"This young man is detained under PSA today, yesterday he had raised questions on District Administration Doda for their failure. This area could not be cleaned but he is arrested now. This is Swatchh Bharat of Modi," Malik captioned a video featuring Padder, who criticises the administration over the apparent failure of the SBM.

Hailing originally from the Bhata area of Dessa Doda, Padder was born and brought up in Doda town and besides being a volunteer of Ababeel, he earns his livelihood by working at a shop of his brother. During recently held Assembly elections, Rehmatullah had openly supported Aam Aadmi Party candidate Mehraj Malik, who later on emerged as a winner, due to which he became eye sore for a couple of political parties.

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