Police refute reports of assault on JKLF chief Yasin Malik
SRINAGAR: Police on Saturday strongly rebutted the reports of an assault on Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik.
A JKLF spokesman had alleged that Malik was assaulted by the police before being detained while he was on his way to the Jamia Masjid to lead a protest march.
The spokesman said Malik was to lead the protest march “against the use of force on students, illegal continuous arrest of leaders by NIA and Kathua rape-and-murder incident”.
He said the JKLF chairman was “assaulted” by the police before being taken away.
Quoting witnesses, the JKLF spokesman claimed “police stopped Malik’s vehicle near Gousia hospital in Khanyar and straightaway a police officer started hurling abuses on him”.
The JKLF chairman objected to the police officer’s “misbehavior” and asked him to show some restraint, the spokesman claimed. “Policemen assaulted the JKLF chairman, injured him and virtually dragged him to Khanyar police station, where from he, along with another JKLF leader Bashir Kashmiri, was shifted to Kothibagh police station,” the spokesman said.
Moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the alleged police action.
“Strongly condemn police assault, manhandling and arrest of JKLF chief Yasin Malik by police when he was on way to Jamia Masjid to take part in a peaceful protest against unabated killings of youth, use of force on students and continuous illegal arrests of leaders by NIA,” the Mirwaiz said on Twitter.