Srinagar, 30 April (KMW): In a significant development of the day, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (M) Leader and Chairman of the Peoples Political Party (PPP), Engineer Hilal Ahmad War who had been evading police arrest for the last couple of days in the wake of elections scheduled to be held in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency today was arrested along with party activists including Sajjad Noorabadi at his residence in Maisuma locality of the uptown Srinagar and bundled to the Kothibagh police station amid tight security.Â
According to a statement issued to KMW, Pertinently, Engineer Hilal Ahmad War had today called a press briefing of the media persons at his residence in the morning, wherein, he was supposed to talk about the issue of the actualization of referendum and irrelevance of polling politics which was to be followed by a protest rally from his residence to Lal-chowk area, the heart of the Srinagar city.
In order to foil the press briefing and protest rally, Er. War’s residence was raided multiple times over the days including nocturnal raids. Due to complete failure of the security forces to locate and arrest Er. War the houses of his associates were also raided and searched. Today his entire locality was turned into a virtual garrison which was cordoned off by heavy contingents of CRPF and JK Police who did not let the media personnel enter the lanes or by-lanes of the area just to not let the press briefing or the rally happen.
In a brazen show of state terrorism his house was ultimately ransacked and the family was abused and manhandled. Er. War, who had re-entered the locality in the wee hours was arrested by the police before the briefing could start and was manhandled, abused and bundled up in a very callous and inhuman manner. The senior leader was given a treatment unlike the one given to a political leader, which nothing short of a vehement violation of the basic human rights.
Upon the arrest of Engineer War, the entire locality including women and children reverberated and raised pro-freedom slogans and cheered their leader. Defying restrictions they followed their leader till he was taken away in the security vehicle to the police station wherein he has been inhumanly lodged into a dark cell, as per privy sources. The local people expressing their dismay over the event maintained that they were aghast with the manner a senior leader was handled, with his face masked like a criminal, maltreatment done to him and the abuses that were continuously being hurled at him and his family including the female members. They said that this was what democracy meant to them. Showing solidarity with the family of the leader, the local people demanded apology from the police for their maltreatment of the leader and his family and appealed for his immediate release.(KMW)
