Srinagar, Nov 23 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday late evening conducted an extensive search at MLA Hostel that has been declared as sub-jail where dozens of mainstream leaders are caged and recovered 11 phones and other gadgets from their possession.
A top police official told the wire service –Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that 11 phones and other gadgets were recovered from the possession of caged leader at sub-jail (MLA hostel) in this evening, adding that after receiving the information that some caged leaders were misusing the cellphones, an extensive search was launched at the jail.
He added that they recovered 11 phones from their possession and said that all the phones will be examined and “we will see whom they have called and who was in touch with them.”
A police official told KNO that phones are being examined separately and investigation in this regard has been started. At least 33 mainstream leaders have been kept at MLA hostel, recently declared as sub-jail.
The Kashmiri mainstream leaders including the former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir-Dr Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are undergoing detention since August 5, when the government in centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370) and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories.
The leaders were earlier put under detention at a make-shift jail (Centaur hotel) while a few among them have been released since August 5.
Meanwhile, former chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti daughter, through the official twitter handle of her mother, said that it seems that manhandling of the detained leaders was not enough for the police as they have been subjected to humiliating frisking.
In the series of tweets, Mehbooba said that one assumes, certain J&K police officers drunk on newfound power are doing this to settle political scores.
“Seems like manhandling detainees wasn’t enough J&K police on ADGs orders has raided MLA hostel, Srinagar today & subjected detainees to humiliating frisking & checking. One assumes, certain J&K police officers drunk on newfound power are doing this to settle political scores,” Mehbooba said in her tweet.
“Want to bring this to the attention of @HMOIndia @PMOIndia .Political detainees for reasons best known to state admin & JK police are living in squalor & are now being harassed on a daily basis,” Mehbooba tweeted.
“They are being treated worse than hardened criminals. Today, a detainees 3 year old infant son was nearly strip searched & this resulted in an altercation between political detainees & JK police. Request @PMOIndia to personally look into this to take stock of the situation,” Mehbooba’s daughter said in the tweet from her mother’s twitter handle.
“They are being treated worse than hardened criminals. Today, a detainees 3 year old infant son was nearly strip searched & this resulted in an altercation between political detainees & JK police. Request @PMOIndia to personally look into this to take stock of the situation,” she tweeted.
“ADG J&K facilitated release of an ex MLA from SKICC recently. This was done to engineer a new political front because the MLA in question has been visiting families of detainees & recommended them to contact a former minister to secure their release from the sub jail,” Mehbooba tweeted.
“The condition to secure their release depends on the detainees willingness to join a new political front in J&K. Since when has it become normal for an officer to interfere & orchestrate in political matters of the state?” the second last tweet reads.
“As if detention of their loved ones for the past 3 months wasn’t enough, these families being blackmailed & are told that detainees will be released only if they ‘co operate’ & join this motley crew heading an undemocratic third front in J&K,” the last tweet reads. (KNO)