Five charged in Banihal for "supporting and instigating" pro-freedom rallies

Banihal, Mahore youth allege harassment
Greater Kashmir Sept 19
Cases filed against 5 in Banihal for holding protests

MUDDASIR ALI


Srinagar, Sep 18: Police in Banihal have registered case against five persons for “supporting and instigating” the people to take part in protest rallies.
A copy of FIR (No 168/08) dated August 26, registered in the Banihal police station against six persons mentions that the accused organized a meeting and planned the anti-India protests in the area. “The meeting was attended by many locals and some anti-social elements. The accused instigated the people to hold anti-India demonstrations and sought cooperation with the separatists in the Valley,” reads a copy of the FIR lying with Greater Kashmir.
The police has registered the cases against the accused under the sections of RPC—149, 148, 147, 188, 190, 152 (A), 124 (A), and 120.
Quoting “sources” the FIR copy mentions that the accused after discussing the situation in the Valley “decided at a meeting to hold pro-freedom rallies in the area in support of the Kashmiri people. The meeting also decided to support the extremists groups in the Valley.”
It reads later the accused while leading a protest and carrying sticks and flags in their hands went into the Banihal Bazaar and staged anti-India demonstration. “It was in brazen violation of orders issued by the district magistrate, which prohibit the assembly of the people in the Bazaar,” the FIR says.
The processionists, the copy mentions, shouted pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom slogans. “They accused people of minority community of damaging the mosque in the Kathua area of Jammu region. The protesters also vowed to continue demonstrations till Kashmir gets Azadi,” the copy reads.
The other charge in the copy: “The accused and their supporters also warned people of dire consequences if they informed the authorities about the rally and meeting.”
Local residents said several protesters have been beaten in the police stations where they are being regularly summoned.
The duty official of Banihal police station, Abdul Majeed, told Greater Kashmir on Monday “police has registered case against five persons and is carrying out investigations.”
Mahore
This area hardly makes news, except for rare encounters between militants and troops in the past. For past some weeks, however, police is harassing youths, some of them associated with PDP, after the killing of a Special Police Officer (SPO), residents of the area said.
“Recently an SPO went missing after he had gone to the nearby forests in Adbaiz. A house of militant falls in the same area and it may be the reason police was harassing the locals,” sources said.
They said on September 12 police called four youth, Bashir Ahmad, Sajad Ahmad, Shabir Ahmad, and Muhammad Amin—all residents of Adbaiz—to the police station. “They were again summoned to the police station today allegedly in connection with the missing SPO and threatened of dire consequence if they didn’t cooperate,” sources said.
They said police was also allegedly harassing the youth in different villages of the Mahore, a Muslim majority area, for their support to the pro-independence rallies.
They said one Mohi-ud-Din of Adbaiz has developed gangrenous wounds after alleged torture by the local police.
“He was then threatened with dire consequences of he went out of the village for treatment, or told anybody about the torture,” said a local elder on condition of anonymity.
However Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mahore, Adil Hameed termed the reports as “baseless.”