Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday arrested three members of newly floated Awami Awaz Party following a press conference held by its president Suhail Khan against the eviction drive in the union territory.
The police claimed that the three accused had threatened mediapersons and given an ‘anti-national’ statement in the press conference on Wednesday.
“Suhail Khan, Nadeem Shafi Rather and Umar Majeed Wani have been arrested. They were self-styled leaders and had threatened and intimidated mediapersons, and given an anti-national byte yesterday in a press conference. FIR no 05/2023 under relevant sections has been registered in Kothibagh police station,” Srinagar police said in a tweet.
Suhail is the president of Awami Awaz Party, while Nadeem Shafi is its general secretary.
Suhail had addressed a press conference on Wednesday wherein he castigated the UT administration and home minister Amit Shah over the land eviction drive in Jammu and Kashmir.
“They just say that bulldozers won’t demolish homes of the poor. In fact, they were first rolled over the poor. Their agenda is to run bulldozers over Kashmiris. This has been happening to Muslims for the past two years,” he had said as he slammed Shah for his “agenda” of revocation of Article 370.
“In Anantnag, there were pro-freedom slogans when the bulldozers ran over the poor (people’s belongings). There still are people who will fight for Kashmir. The Indian government might think that it will suppress the voices of people. They won’t be able to do so,” he had added.
They had also joined the protest launched by a family from Kupwara in January after a villager disappeared allegedly from the army custody in December last year.
Khan had claimed that his efforts to ask questions over the man’s disappearance ruffled some feathers. “The administration threatened me and my family. They don’t want peace here. I will soon make a disclosure over the disappearance whether my life remains or not,” he had said in the press conference.
