Police to release arrested youth, separatists

‘Those involved in intimidation of voters would be dealt with as per law’

Police has started releasing the youth and separatist leaders who were taken into preventive custody during recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.
However, according to police sources, the youth arrested on charges of being involved in fresh incidents of stone-throwing and intimidation of voters would be dealt with according to the law.
According to official sources, security forces detained over 800 people from across Kashmir since the beginning of the poll process in JK. The arrests, police said were part of an effort to prevent protests or violence during polls.
In central Kashmir’s Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam districts police arrested around 300 youth, while 500 youth were arrested from north Kashmir’s Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Sopore and Handwara areas. Though some of the detainees have already been released, scores of youth continue to be in police custody.
The separatists presently in police custody include Hurriyat JK leaders Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Hurriyat Conference (G) leaders Ayaz Akbar, Abdul Majid Rather, Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ganaie, Salam Yusuf, Amir Hamza, Abdul Hamid Parray, Muhammad Abdullah Parray, Meraj-ud-Din and several others.
“Those taken into preventive custody will be released in a phased manner,” Director General of Police (DGP), Ashok Prasad told Greater Kashmir adding that separatists would be also released soon. “We will be taking a security review before taking a final call on their release,” DGP said.
Prasad said the youth who have been arrested in fresh cases of stone-throwing and intimidation of voters would be dealt with according to the law.