Srinagar
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has criticised the Indian authorities for registering an FIR against the father of a youth, martyred by the Indian troops in the Lawaypora, Srinagar fake encounter on December 30, 2020, for demanding the dead body of his son for proper burial.
Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, father of Athar Mushtaq Wani from Pulwama, is among seven booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Indian police.
A police officer confirmed to media that he was booked for organising a protest on Friday, wherein the demonstrators demanded the return of the body.
Mehbooba Mufti in a tweet said, ”After losing his son in an alleged fake encounter, Athar Mushtaq’s father has been slapped with an FIR for demanding his dead body.
His crime was to stage a peaceful protest. The inhabitants of Naya Kashmir can’t even question a callous administration and have been reduced to living corpses.”
Eyewitnesses told media that Mr Wani had organised the special prayers at the empty grave dug by him for his son, who was buried far-off on a hillock in central Kashmir to avoid any assembly during the funeral. Moreover in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Hurriyat forum led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has strongly denounced the lodging of FIR against several persons including the father of the youth, Athar Mushtaq of Pulwama, who along with two others was martyred in Lawaypora encounter on December 31, 2020.
The forum in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the police had said that the slain youth were not listed as militants in their records, still the father of Athar, who held a peaceful protest outside the Jamia Masjid in Pulwama demanding return of his son’s body for performing the last rites, was booked by police along with half a dozen persons.
It termed it shameful and unfortunate that, on one hand, the body of an innocent youth was not handed over to the family; and, on the other, an FIR was lodged against the father. This amounts to rubbing salt to the injuries of the bereaved family, it said.
The forum urged the human rights organisations to take cognizance of the aggressive action by authorities and intervene so that justice is served to the bereaved family and that the body of Athar is returned to them.—KMS
