Jailed cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, also known as Sarjan Barkati, will likely file his nomination from central Kashmir’s Ganderbal Assembly constituency, one of his family members said on Tuesday.
This decision comes after his initial nomination was rejected by the Election Commission from South Kashmir’s Zainapora seat due to “incomplete documentation.”
“The family and his associates have decided that he will contest from Ganderbal,” Barkati’s nephew Rehbar Ahmad told UNI over the phone.
If his nomination is accepted, he will face off against former Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, who is also contesting from Ganderbal.
Barkati was the central figure in the 2016 protest in Kashmir, which was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016, during an encounter. Barkati, a resident of Zainpora Shopian, had coined and popularised many slogans during the protests that lasted for over three months.
He was later booked under the Public Safety Act for organising anti-government rallies. He remained in custody for over four years. Last year, Jammu and Kashmir’s Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) arrested Barkati in a terror funding case. His wife was also arrested in the case.
