Police Tuesday detained legislator Engineer Rasheed and his scores of supporters when he tried to march toward Gupkar based Chief Minister’s residence to protest over recent civilian killings in North Kashmir’s Handwara town.Engineer Rasheed led Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) had organized a ‘peaceful’ march to CM’s residence in Srinagar on Tuesday in wake of PM’s visit to state against “her failure to stop army from civilian killings in Kupwara, Kapran and elsewhere and to condemn the criminal silence of Indian Government over innocent killings in Handwara”.Eyewitnesses told CNS that scores of AIP activists led by Engineer Rasheed assembled near Cricket Stadium Sonawar and marched towards Gupkar. The protesters carrying placards and banners were stopped and detained by police after they reached near the starting point of Gupkar road.
They were detained at Police Station Ram Munshi Bagh. Shortly before his detention, Engineer Rasheed told CNS that the protest march has been organized to expose the dual approach of India. He said, “the double standards of New Delhi get exposed when whole of the India makes much hue and cry over NIT issue, where nothing had happened except a local boy Imtiyaz was beaten to pulp by non-state subject students but nobody speaks when five innocent Kashmiris lose their life in Handwara at the hands of forces and dozens get critically injured.This protest is aimed at to tell the masses in India that PM Narendra Modi and his state government are ruling J&K through the barrel of gun and are misleading billions of Indians by attending government sponsored functions under tight security cover-up. We appeal PM to punish those wearing army and police uniform and killing Kashmiris,” Rasheed said. (CNS)