| No one yet arrested for insulting India, raising IS, Pak flags in Kashmir | | Sr cop rubbishes reports of IS ideology reaching Kashmir, says terror outfit's flags are being waved for publicity | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 2: While the flags of Pakistan and dreaded terror outfit IS have been raised in Kashmir from time to time, police are yet to make any arrest. Though cases in this regard stand registered at Srinagar police stations, investigations have surprisingly refused to make any headway.
Pak agents on several occasions have waved the IS and Pak flags and then disappeared but police, despite having a large intelligence network across the state, have so far failed to identify the accused and book them under relevant sections of law. It shows that police lack the will to lay hands on these enemy agents.
On April 16 this year, chief minister Mufti Mohammad Syed too had asserted that hoisting of Pak flags and slogans in Syed Ali Shah Geelani's rally were unacceptable and intolerable.
Taking a strong note of the anti-India sloganeering in the rally, a senior cop had then stated that "police are investigating the matter and after identifying all those involved, stern action will be taken". Over three and a half months have passed but the action is still nowhere in sight.
The April 16 pro-Pakistan, anti-India rally was held by separatist Masarat Alam. An FIR in this regard was registered at Budgam police station for provocative activities against Geelani, Alam and Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Peer Saifullah under FIR No 92/2015 and sections 13 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 120-B, 147, 341, 336 and 427 of RPC.
While Alam was later arrested and sent to jail, those, who have been waving IS and Pak flags from time to time, are yet to be apprehended. "This is surprising that the accused continue to be at large," remarked a police officer.
The April 16 rally was videographed and the video showed Alam chanting with thousands of his supporters -- Hafeez Saeed ka yehi paigam, Kashmir banega Pakistan. Many from the crowds had pelted stones at the CRPF jawans.
"Giving a long rope to the anti-nationals in the valley is not good for the country. They should have been arrested on the day they had for the first time appeared on the Srinagar roads, waving the IS and Pak flags. Had the police nip the evil in the bud, such incidents may not have repeated time and again," he said.
Meanwhile, the senior cop Saturday rubbished the reports of any ISIS ideology reaching Kashmir, saying "those, who wave such flags, are doing it just for publicity". Following investigations into the reason behind the surfacing of IS flags during protests in Kashmir, it became known that there was no conviction that was luring the young boys to wave the flags, he added.
Even if some valley youth were doing it for fun, they must be identified and booked under the law of the land.
Another police officer claimed that a few youth were picked up by police for waving the IS and Pak flags during protests in the valley. |
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