Srinagar, Dec 04 : Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leaders on Tuesday led a candle light protests at Maisuma, Abi-Guzar and Soura Srinagar against ‘ongoing military and police crackdown in Kashmir’.
Despite police crackdown, JKLF spokesman in a statement issued to KNS said that its leaders and activists carried on with their political protest programs and staged candle light protests at Maisuma, Abi-Guzar and Soura Srinagar.
JKLF leaders Mushtaq Ajmal, Javed Zargar, Bashir Kashmiri, Asharf Bin Salam, Javed Ahmad Butt, professor Javed, and Muhammad Hanif along with people from different walks of life gathered at Abi-Guzar, Maisuma and Soura Srinagar respectively.
Holding blazing candles and torches in their hands, protesters marched peacefully and raised slogans against human rights abuses in Kashmir at the hands of forces.
In today’s protest, the participation of respected women and children especially at Abi-Guzar who despite police intimidations came out of their houses and participated in this candle light protest and raised slogans against ‘aggression’.
The protesters were addressed by various JKLF leaders who while condemning the ‘military and police crackdown’, spree of killings, burning and blasting down properties, spree of arrests, use of black laws against political leaders and activists and choking of space on political activities and programs said that “when peaceful political activities like expression of grief by burning candles is disallowed by the claimants of biggest democracy, it can only be termed but as travesty and sham of democracy.”
They said that “ongoing military and police oppression in Kashmir especially in villages of south and north Kashmir, choking of every little space on peaceful political dissent, crackdown against JKLF leaders and activists are a few examples of what India is unleashing against people of Kashmir.”
“If subjecting populace to military and police oppression is democracy then what is dictatorship in the eyes of rulers,” asked JKLF leaders.
Notably, the call for this week long protest has been given by JRL on the occasion of the international human rights day.
JKLF spokesman meanwhile said that after the conclusion of yesterday’s candle light protests, police launched crackdown against JKLF and arrested various JKLF leaders including vice chairman Showkat Ahmad Bakhshi, Zonal president Noor Muhammad Kalwal, Zonal general secretary Sheikh Abdul Rashid and zonal vice president Muhammad Yasin Butt.
“Police also raided the house of Zonal organizer Bashir Kashmiri who was not at his residence at the time of raid. Police late last night and early morning today raided the houses of JKLF leaders Showkat Bakhshi, Noor Muhammad Kalwal and Sheikh Abdul Rashid and took them in custody. Arrested are languishing at Kothi-bagh police station, central jail Srinagar and Safa-Kadal police station respectively. Police this morning raided the house of ailing Muhammad Yasin Butt and arrested him,” spokesman said.
Ailing Butt has however been released on bail now.
It is pertinent to mention that JKLF chairman is already in police custody and is admitted at SKIMS Soura. (KNS)
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