Slain militant’s mother held on terror charges
■ Locals demand unconditional release of J&K woman, slam police on social media
The arrest of the mother of a slain militant by the police in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Kulgam district has caused a furore with locals demanding her unconditional release and many people taking to social media platforms to castigate the uniformed force over it.
The police, however, justified the arrest claiming the woman was involved in helping militants which included enlisting two local youth in their ranks. The family and other local residents of Rampora village of Kulgam’s Qaimoh Redwani area said the woman Naseema Banoo whose son and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant Tawseef Ahmed Sheikh was shot dead by security forces during an encounter two years ago was arrested by the police in a raid on her house recently.
“The security forces raided the house of our neighbour Abdus Salam Sheikh and asked for his wife and daughter. The daughter was not at home. They took Sheikh’s wife along saying she is involved in a criminal case,” said a local resident. The police officers reportedly told the family that they need to take Abdus Salaam’s daughter also for questioning.
The police said it took Ms. Naseema in “legally sanctioned” custody and that she has been lodged at the women’s police station in neighbouring Anantnag town. The police sources said that Tawseef Sheikh was killed along with a teacher Muhammad Rafi Bhat who too had allegedly joined the Hizb in a fire fight in South Kashmir on May 6, 2018.
Amid protests over the woman’s arrest, the J&K police in a statement said that an FIR under sections 13B, 17, 18, 18B, 19, 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act stood registered against her at the local police station.
“The arrest was done in compliance of provisions of law and she has been under legally sanctioned custody in women police station Anantnag ever since her arrest”, it said.
The police claimed that the woman “is involved in a serious criminal case and a photo showing her toting an automatic weapon and posing next to her son who was an active militant at the time speaks it all”.
The statement alleged: “The photo is just the beginning of her criminal involvements. She is involved in much more serious offences and her role has surfaced in recruiting at least two youth into militants’ ranks, arranging arms, ammunition, communication and logistics for militants and terror organisations”.