Ishfaq Tantry
Srinagar, Sept 09: Despite a Srinagar court Thursday granting bail to 13 youth from Chota Bazar and Guru Bazar localities of Old City, who were booked by police for stone-pelting, the parents alleged their wards were not released by police and instead showed booked in another police station.
The youth were arrested by J&K Police Tuesday last when they were trying to enquire about the condition of an injured youth Abid Bazaz at the SMHS Hospital. However, police later on termed these youth as "stone-pelters" and subsequently booked them in serious offences including 307 RPC (attempt to murder).
“The parents of 14 youth hailing from Chota Bazar and Guru Bazar areas of Srinagar today approached Special Magistrate, Passenger Tax, with bail applications. Of these, thirteen youth were granted bail in the case FIR No 99 registered at Police Station Shaheed Gunj against a surety bond of Rs 25000 in each case,” a counsel appearing for one of the alleged stone-pelters said.
The youth granted bail include Umar Mushtaq Khan, son of Mushtaq Ahmad, Sajad Ali Dar, son of Ali Mohammad Dar, Umar Asif Zargar, son of Ghulam Mohammad, Imran Ahmad Bhat, son of Mushtaq Ahmad, Nazim Bashir Khan, son of Bashir Ahmad, Junaid Farooq Khan, son of Farooq Ahmad, Irshad Ahmad Bhat, son of Mushtaq Ahmad, Barkat Rafiq Hazari, son of Rafiq Ahmad, Atif Ayub Shah, son of Mohammad Ayub, Nasir Zahoor Misgar, son of Zahoor Ahmad, Ishtaq Ahmad Zargar, son of Late Abdul Gani, Irshad Ahmad Zargar, son of Abdul Gani, all hailing from Chota Bazar locality, and Hamid Ali Bhat, son of Late Gulzar Hussain, a resident of Guru Bazar.
However, the police did not release them as they were shown booked in another case at PS Karan Nagar. The boys have been shifted to PS Karan Nagar where a separate FIR has been lodged against them
Meanwhile, protests continued till evening at Chota Bazar against the arrests. Fatima, mother of arrested youth Umar Asif Zargar, told Rising Kashmir, “I had sent him to buy bread when he was arrested by the police. He was not pelting stones as claimed by the cops. Today we secured bail for them, but just as we reached PS Shaheed Gunj to convey the same, we were told that the boys have been shifted to PS Karan Nagar, where they have been booked in another case.”
She said "they (police) are just delaying their release on one pretext or the other”.
A police spokesman had claimed Wednesday that in a drive against stone throwers, the cops arrested 14 youth of Chota Bazar and booked them under relevant provisions of law.
“A case under FIR No 99 under section 307, 147, 427, 148, 336 and 341 RPC has been registered against them at PS Shaheed Gunj in this regard,” the spokesman said.
Ahead of Eid, police has launched a massive crackdown on stone throwers and arrested at least 32 youth across Valley in last three days, including the 14 youth from Chota Bazar and Guru Bazar localities. All the arrested youth have been accused of stone-pelting and booked under serious charges, including attempt to murder.
The same evening police also arrested two youth from Wannabal Rawalpora locality of uptown Srinagar. “These two youth were standing near the railway bridge when some policemen in civvies disembarked from a Santro car and swooped on them. The police has now accused them of stone-pelting in the area,”an eyewitness from the area told Rising Kashmir.
Soon after the arrest of youth, the locals held a protest demonstration at Old Airport Road near Wannabal Rawalpora, demanding the immediate release of these “innocent" youth.
The residents also alleged that police is now demanding a huge amount of money for their release. However, this allegation could not be verified independently.
