Srinagar: A day after the Delhi Police claimed to have arrested three Kashmiris after a “brief shootout” in the capital, the families of the arrested trio on Tuesday staged a protest in Srinagar, saying they were detained on false grounds.
The three persons detained from Shakarpur locality of East Delhi include 65-year-old Muhammad Ayoub Pathan from Gondipora village, while the other two persons — Reyaz Ahmed Rather and Shabir Ahmed Gojri are residents of Nasrullahpora, village of the district.
Braving chill and rains, the families of the arrested persons, including women, staged a protest at the Press Enclave in Srinagar today to demand the release of their kin. They claimed that the Delhi Police have arrested their kin on false grounds and that they had no militant links.
“My father owns a band-saw and had travelled to Delhi to purchase certain things for our newly-constructed house in Gondipora,” said Pathan’s son Idrees Ayub, adding that his father’s cell-phone was switched off since Sunday morning when he spoke to him last.
Pathan is the father of six daughters and two sons. “Our father has been always working hard to look after us and it is a white lie on part of Delhi police that our father has militant links,” a daughter of Ayoub told journalists at the Press Enclave.
“My father is innocent. If Delhi police claims that he is affiliated with any militant outfit, let them come up with evidence against him; we cannot buy their hollow claims until and unless his involvement in militancy is confirmed,” said Idrees Ayub.
“We are very much worried about the safety of our father. We appeal the LG and DGP to intervene and ensure early release of our innocent father,” he added.
Shaista, wife of another detainee Shabir Ahmed Gojri, said that her husband was visiting the shrine of Khwaja Moin-ud-Din Chisti (RA) in Ajmer. “He was accompanied by another local Riyaz Ahmad on his trip this time. Riyaz is a welder and he needed to purchase some material for his workshop from Delhi,” said Shaista.
“Had he (Shabir) been associated with militancy, I would have known till now,” added Shaista, who is married to Shabir for ten years. The couple have a small daughter.
On Monday, the special cell of Delhi Police claimed to have arrested five men in Shakarpur area of Delhi after a brief shootout. Three among them were from Kashmir and two hailed from Punjab.
The families of the trio sought the intervention of LG Manoj Sinha and DGP Dilbag Singh to ensure release of their kin, asserting that they have a clean police record and have never been detained in the past.
