The crackdown continues...3 old men, herdsman "disappeard" by Indian army

3 old men disappear in custody

Army, Police trade blames

Hakeem Irfan
Srinagar, Sep 01: Troopers of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Army camp Gargarpora allegedly arrested three elderly persons from Kawoosa village near Narbal on the city outskirts on August 27. The trio is untraceable since.
The trio was arrested on charges of organising protests during the agitation in Kashmir, said Bilal Ahmed son Abdul Rehman Mir, 60, who is one among the three arrested.
Narrating the woeful tale of his aged father’s disappearance, Bilal Ahmed told Rising Kashmir that Abdul Rehman Mir along with his neighbours Abdul Majid Khan, 55 and Muhammad Ramzan Malik, 63, were arrested by RR men on August 27.

Denying any arrests, PRO army A K Mathur said: “The army is not supposed to arrest people involved in rioting. Besides, army cannot retain people for long.”
“Army deals with militancy related cases only. Local police handles all such cases of rioting,” Mathur said.
However, Superintendent of Police Budgam denied any such information but assured of tracking the case if any.
“I have no such information but age is no bar if people are involved in crime or rioting,” said SP Budgam.
Meanwhile, reports are pouring in from different districts where army is picking up the youth and after beating them ruthlessly for a day or two handover them to police.
SSP Islamabad Nitesh Kumar earlier confirmed the arrests of one dozen youth in his area.
“They are mostly teenagers involved in stone pelting on CRPF bunkers and police, we will not spoil their career by lodging cases against the minor incidents however any body involved heavily will have to face the law,” he said.
However reports from Islamabad said nearly 50 youth were detained. Most of them were released immediately in a day or two after their detention.
Scores of youth were detained in Bandipora, Kupwara and other areas but most of them were released later.
Earlier, the spree of detention started throughout the Valley immediately after protests against land transfer and then massive rallies against the Indian rule in the State.
Police started detaining people who had participated in protests.

Herdsman missing
Listen To Article Save Article Print Article
Send Article To Friend Write To Editor Comment On Article



Wasim Khalid
Srinagar, Sep 01: Zahoor Ahmad, 15, a cattle herder was arrested by army at Poshwari area of north Kashmir Kupwara district’s Machil sector on August 23, after which his whereabouts are untraced, family members said.
“Zahoor was rearing cattle in the nearby forests when army troopers took him along,” said Zahoor’s father Ghulam Hassan Shah. “That day a fierce gun battle had started between militants and army on the Line of Control.”



Around 17 people were killed during the gunfight including a colonel rank officer.
Shah said after his son was apprehended, the army said he is lying with them and they were investigating him about certain things.
“From then onwards, he has not returned home,” Shah said.
“We approached the concerned army authorities frequently but they denied that he had been arrested by them.”
Afterwards, the family members said they registered an FIR in the concerned police station about his missing.
“But till date police has not traced Zahoor,” Shah said.
Zahoor is the youngest among four sibling whose mother passed away when he was a child. His three elder brothers Abdur Rashid, Abdul Majeed and Bashir Ahmad are waiting for their younger brother to return home.
“My brother is a very poor man. He used to earn by rearing cattle of the people,” said Zahoor’s brother Abdul Rashid.
“But now there is nobody to save the family. Neither there is anybody who would follow his case to trace him. The family is left on the mercy of God.”
The family members are now demanding that if the authorities could not provide his whereabouts, they should then give them his body.
Army spokesman, Lt Colonel A K Mathur said the 45 RR was engaged in the encounter the day Zahoor was arrested.
“So if there is any other unit we would inquire and try to locate provided he has been picked by the army,” Mathur said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kupwara, Uttam Chand said if the case has been registered with the police then “a proper legal action would be taken”.
About the arrest, he said he would ascertain the complaint and then would be able to comment on the subject.