Mehbooba Mufti’s ‘banta hai’ remark at CJP protest sparks storm
Omar Abdullah demands apology after Mehbooba Mufti’s ‘uska banta hai’ line on pellet guns, made during a CJP protest visit at Jantar Mantar.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s comments at Jantar Mantar during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) student protest have blown into a political fight in Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the remarks regrettable Monday and said she should apologise.
What she said
Mufti visited Jantar Mantar on the sidelines of the CJP-led protest last week. Commenting on the lathicharge and use of pellet guns against protesting students in the capital, she said this was the first time such scenes had been seen in Delhi.
“We have seen this in Kashmir for many years, but there is militancy in Kashmir, uska banta hai, that there are militants on one side and security forces on the other. The students here are unarmed and non-violent,” she said, according to The Indian Express.
A clip of the statement spread online. Kashmir-based parties read the “banta hai” line as justifying force against protesters in the Valley.
Omar Abdullah’s response
Abdullah said Monday that Mufti had justified the use of violence against people in J&K. He noted she did not join the National Conference’s July 20 statehood march at Jantar Mantar when invited, but “chose to go to Delhi and justify the use of force and arbitrary arrests in J&K”.
“If there is militancy here, should the rule of law not apply? Should people’s passports be impounded? I don’t understand this ‘banta hai’,” he said.
He also rejected a PDP claim that the video was doctored or AI-edited. “Are we that foolish, that the media of the whole country was there? You can see the mics of multiple channels in that video,” he said. He argued an apology would not diminish her stature and asked, after such a justification of force, “which Kashmiri will come to fight for their rights?”
Wider backlash in Kashmir
The New Indian Express reported National Conference spokesman Tanvir Sadiq demanding a clear apology, saying the remark endorsed a policy that left thousands blinded, maimed and traumatised, including during Mufti’s 2016–2018 tenure as chief minister.
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari accused her of opportunistic politics. Awami Ittehad Party spokesman Inam Un Nabi called the contrast between her Delhi and Kashmir positions “selective morality”.
What we can verify
- Mufti visited Jantar Mantar during the CJP-led student protest and commented on police action against students in Delhi versus Kashmir.
- She used the phrase “uska banta hai” in the context of militancy and security forces in Kashmir, as reported by The Indian Express.
- Omar Abdullah publicly criticised the remark on Monday, 27 July 2026, and called for an apology.
- NC, Apni Party and AIP figures also condemned the line, per The New Indian Express (26 July 2026).
- PDP argued the video was doctored / AI-edited; Abdullah rejected that claim, citing multi-channel mics in the footage.
What remains unverified
- Full unedited transcript of Mufti’s Jantar Mantar remarks beyond the published quotes.
- Whether Mufti will issue a formal apology.
- Independent forensic assessment of the viral clip’s authenticity [unverified beyond competing political claims].
Sources
Sources cited
CJP policy: every fact in this article is traceable to a public source. We never publish what we cannot verify.
Got a tip on this story? Our newsroom follows up on every lead. Reach us via the submission page.