NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Father-Son Among Four Arrested in Kashmir

By Fayaz Wani

A father-son duo are among four persons arrested by Indian security personnel from North Kashmir in violence hit Jammu and Kashmir.

A contingent of Indian army personnel conducted a late raid on the house of one Ghulam Ahmad Najar at Nagri, Handwara in the border district of Kupwara in Kashmir. The soldiers searched the household goods inside the house and afterwards arrested the house owner, his son, Mohammad Ahsan Najar (a teacher) and nephew, Ghulam Nabi Najar. The Indian soldiers whisked the trio to some unknown destination and the whereabouts of the arrested persons have not been disclosed to the family members.

Fearing for the lives of the arrested persons, their family members have demanded the disclosure of the whereabouts of the trio.

It is pertinent to mention here that this morning, the moderate faction of separatist conglomerate; Huriyat Conference staged a silent protest rally against the disappearance of people in custody of Indian forces. The separatist leaders say that more than 12,000 Kashmiris have disappeared in the custody of Indian forces during the past 18 years of turmoil in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, personnel of Indian police's anti-counter insurgency unit also conducted a raid in the house of a teacher at Brar Bandipora during the preceding night. The police personnel arrested the teacher identified as Bashir Ahmad Sofi son of Ghulam Mohammad. His whereabouts have not been disclosed to his family members.

To protest against his arrest, people in their hundreds came out on the roads in Bandipora this morning and staged a sit-in dharna. Raising anti-forces, an anti-India and pro-freedom slogan, the protestors said the arrested teacher is innocent and was not remotely connected with militancy. "There is no justification in his arrest", they said, and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested teacher.

They have threatened that in case the arrested teacher was not released, they would paralyse the functioning of the administration by staging forceful protest demonstrations.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.