Families of 3 Budgam men arrested in Delhi stage protest
Threaten to stage sit-in outside Parliament
Srinagar: Family members of three Budgam men, who were arrested after an alleged encounter at Shakarpur area in East Delhi earlier this week, Friday threatened to stage a ‘dharna’, outside the Parliament if these ‘innocent’ people are not released forthwith.
Chanting slogans against the ‘Delhi Police’, the relatives of three Budgam men, carrying placards in their hands which read “release innocents, we want justice” assembled at the Press Enclave here this afternoon, and staged a protest, demanding immediate release of the trio.
The protesting family members threatened to march to the national capital and stage a ‘dharna’ (sit-in) outside the Parliament if their relatives are not released forthwith. They said the Delhi Police Special Cell has “implicated them in a false case without justifying their involvement in any militant activity”.
Reyaz Ahmed Rather, Shabir Ahmed Gojri and Muhammad Ayub Pathan, all residents of central Kashmir’s Budgam district were arrested on 7th of this month along with two Sikhs in New Delhi for their alleged links with ISI and Khalistani groups.
“We want to question PM Modi and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal that where is the weapon Delhi Police claims to have recovered from three hard-core terrorists alleged to be affiliated with Babbar Khalisa or ISI,” questioned the protesting family members.
They said Mohammad Ayub Pathan, who was accompanied by two other men from Budgam, had gone to New Delhi to buy some electric appliances for his bandsaw mill. They said that they were in regular contact with the trio before the news about their arrest went viral on social media.
“Mohamad Ayub Pathan, who runs a bandsaw mill, was accompanied by two other men from Budgam. He had gone to New Delhi to buy some electric appliances. We were in regular contact with them till 11AM on Sunday and were crestfallen the moment news about their arrest went viral on social media,” they added.
Protesters appealed the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and ensure that the trio is released without being implicated in any other case.
“They are innocent; we appeal the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to ensure their release as the Delhi Police have been habitual of making Kashmiri people scapegoats. LG sir, please intervene before they are implicated in some other fabricated case,” the protesters appealed.
