Detention of youth: Shutdown in Baramulla, Bandipora and Sopore ‘Shutdown to continue till youth not released’: BBM => Nocturnal raids and subsequent arrest of youth sparked spontaneous shutdown in North Kashmir’s Bandipora, Baramulla and Sopore town on Friday. Reports said that due to continuous detention of scores of youth who were picked up before the third phase of polling from different parts of North Kashmir, people observed a complete shutdown amid protests in three towns including Bandipora, Baramulla and Sopore. Eyewitnesses told CNS that there was curfew like situation in Sopore where agitated youth clashed with government forces in Muslim Pir area of the town. Reports said that youth resorted to massive stone-pelting while police exercised maximum restraint while dealing with the protestors. Police laid concertina wires and erected various barricades at Sopore-Bandipora road to stop youth from pelting stones. Reports said that in Boami Sopore the shopkeepers downed their shutters and staged a massive protest after a joint party of police and Special Operations Group arrested three persons on the charges of stone-pelting on the polling day. The trio were identified as Mudasir Ahmed, Naseer Ahmed and Showkat Ahmed Bhat. Reports said that no untoward incident was reported from main Sopore town after Friday prayers. Bandipora and Baramulla towns also observed shutdown against the arrest of youth. All the shops and business establishments remained closed while traffic was off the roads. People staged a protest in Bandipora demanding the release of the detained youth. Police have arrested scores of youth in the town on the charges of anti-poll protests and stone-pelting. Amid complete shutdown in Baramulla against the detention of youth, people in large numbers offered Friday prayers at Idgah Baramulla where clerics and Baramulla Bevopar Mandal (BBM) declared that the shutdown in the town will continue till police not released all the youth and compensate the families whose houses have been damaged in police and CRPF action. “BBM has decided to continue shutdown till our youth are not released. Government Forces have caused damage to number of houses, smashing their windowpanes, broken doors and destroying furniture during raids and we demand these people should be compensated,” Tariq Ahmed Magloo, General Secretary BBM said. Soon after the congregational prayers, people took out a peaceful procession and raised pro-freedom slogans. Police was deployed in strength to thwart any type of protests in the town. (CNS)
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 14:49:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015