Police today arrested about 50 persons along with Er Rasheed to foil AIP’s scheduled sit-in outside army headquarters Badami Bagh against forced labour which army subjected to people from 1989 onwards.Er Rasheed was detained on way to Badami Bagh and lodged in police station Raj Bagh. Heavy contingent of police stopped Er Rasheed, dragged him out of his vehicle and manhandled him. Police men hurdled abuses at him and took him to police station Raj Bagh. Watching the incident hundreds of people from adjoining localities gathered outside police station Raj Bagh and started slogans against police highhandedness. Protestors raised slogans seeking plebiscite and compensation for the forced labour to which people were subjected to in every nook and corner of state. Police arrested around 50 protestors and lodged all of them along with Er Rasheed in police station Raj Bagh. Later talking to media persons at the gate of Raj Bagh police station Er Rasheed said that PM Narendra Modi should restrain from giving sermons that he wants laptop and pen in the hands of Kashmiri children.
He said, “GoI has already lost the moral right to claim being worried about welfare of Kashmiri children, as in remote areas throughout state, army has been using school going children as human shields from 1990 to 2007 and giving sticks in their hands to protect army convoys and didn’t spared teachers and other government employees. So the army has already destroyed a generation by subjecting whole population to forced labour in every nook and corner of state and now CM Mehbooba Mufti has authenticated the complaint.” Er Rasheed said that today’s crack down on AIP sit-in and restraining them from lodging an FIR against the army has exposed GoI for its claims that Kashmiris should use peaceful, legal and democratic ways to fight for their rights. (KNS)