Nearly a hundred nursing students from various colleges of the Valley on Tuesday staged a demonstration in the capital city against the continued detention of their classmate who has been arrested on charges of aiding militants.Reports reaching news gathering agency Global News Service said that nearly a hundred nursing students of SK Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS), Soura, Government Medical College Srinagar, Bibi Halima College converged at the Press Colony here and staged demonstrations against the continued detention of their classmate Iqbal Ahmad Rather. The protesting students alleged that their classmate has been arrested on fabricated charges and taken away to an undisclosed location.The students carrying placards and banners that read “Justice for Iqbal” Where is the brother of seven sisters?” “I am Iqbal, I cure people, I am not a terrorist,” were shouting slogans seeking the release of their classmate.
Iqbal, the protesters said was detained 16 kilometers away from Jhajjar Kotli, where militants attacked a CRPF checkpoint on Wednesday before they were killed in an encounter by government forces on the next day.“We have assembled here to register our protest against the arrest of our classmate. He is innocent and he has been framed in Jhajjar Kotli encounter,” Shaila Qureshi, a final year student told GNS.Shaila said that police were not coming clear with the charges they have levelled against the student.“He has no direct or indirect link with militancy. If he’s guilty, why doesn’t police come out with concrete evidence?” she added.Iqbal, according to another classmate had gone to Jammu to seek an appointment with a doctor for his ailing father, who is suffering from cancer.“Will Iqbal look after his seven sisters and ailing father or will he aid militants? Police are implicating him on false charges,” she added.Before concluding their protest peacefully, the protesting students sought the intervention of Governor Satya Pal Malik in seeking the release of their classmate. (GNS)