Minors booked in Shopian for ‘stone pelting, protests’
Police have booked several minors in south Kashmir’s Shopian district for “protesting and pelting stones” on Deputy Commissioner’s office on past Saturday.
The protests took place after cops allegedly failed to trace body of a student from a village pond.
According to locals, many students protested after police failed to retrieve body of Class 12th student Sheeraz Ahmad Teli of DagporaShopian who drowned in a pond on Saturday. “When police failed to retrieve the body of the student, the students hit streets in protest and held a demonstration outside the DC Office. The protests intensified after the Deputy Commissioner refused to listen to students’ plea,” they said. “Some students then pelted stones at the DC office and dispersed later.”
Soon after protests, police reached the spot and detained around 20 protesters, mostly minors, and lodged them in local police station, the locals said.
The body of the student was, meanwhile, retrieved on Sunday afternoon.
According to sources and local residents, the detained boys were later booked under sections 107 and 151 of CrPC.
Section 107 titled ‘security for keeping peace’ reads: “When an Executive Magistrate receives information that any person is likely to commit a breach of peace or disturb the public tranquility or to do any wrongful act that may probably occasion a breach of the peace or disturb the public tranquility and is of opinion that there is sufficient ground for proceeding, he may, in the manner hereinafter provided, require such person to show cause why he should not be ordered to execute a bond (with or without sureties) for keeping the peace for such period, not exceeding one year, as the Magistrate thinks fit.”
It also reads: “Proceedings under this section may be taken before any Executive Magistrate when either the place where the breach of the peace or disturbance is apprehended is within his local jurisdiction or there is within such jurisdiction a person who is likely to commit a breach of the peace or disturb the public tranquility or to do any wrongful act as aforesaid beyond such jurisdiction.”
And Section 151 titled ‘arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences’, reads: “A police officer knowing of a design to commit any cognizable offence may arrest, without orders from a Magistrate and without a warrant, the person so designing, if it appears to such officer that the commission of the offence cannot be otherwise prevented; No person arrested under sub-section (1) shall be detained in custody for a period exceeding 24 hours from the time of his arrest unless his further detention is required or authorized under any other provisions of this Code or of any other law for the time being in force.”
According to locals, the detained boys were all locals and kept in police lock-up for three days while some of them sent to Juvenile Home at Harwan in Srinagar. “They were not supposed to be kept in lock-up beyond 24 hours, as the law says, but were denied even bail,” they said.
According to parents of arrested boys, the protests took place only because the students wanted the body of their colleague to be retrieved from the pond quickly.
“There was no other intention. But the police treated them like criminals and kept them in custody,” they said. “All the detained boys are school-goers and minors and were preparing for exams.”
The parents said: “We requested the district administration to release them as they were minors and innocent. We even promised them they will not commit such an act again, but they didn’t listen. It’s shocking that minors were beaten and sent to jail.”
Parents of a detained boy said they took the bail papers to local Tehsildar, “but he refused to sign on the bail orders, saying the administration has some apprehensions.”
According to locals, the arrested boys include Amir Ahmad Mir (14) of Hilow; GowharKhursheed (16) of Reshipora; WasimNazirWani (17) of Reshipora; Shakoor Margay (16) of Dagpora; Umar Bhat (14) of Dagpora; Sajad Ahmad Beigh (16) of Dagpora: Aaqib Khan (17) of Wasawhalan; Sheeraz Mir (17) of Wasawhalan; Muhammad Hussain Sheikh (14) of Chitarwach; Tahir Basheer (15) of Chitarwach; Danish Ashraf (16) of Nagbal; Faizan Rasheed (17) of Nagbal; Aarif Husain (16) of Kenigaam; SaboorBhat (16) of Kenigaam; Sarjaam Farooq (17) of Dobipora; ShowkatGanai (17) of Khurampora; Zubair Kumar (16) of Trenz; ZakirThokar (17) of Barbug; Saaqib Amin (16) of Hendew and Aamir Rasheed (15) of ChakSaangdan.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Shopian G M Dar admitted all the arrested boys are minors. “They were booked because they created law and order problem and destroyed peace in the town,” he alleged.
“The boys protested despite the fact that we had already retrieved the body of the school boy from the pond. They forced shopkeepers to down their shutters,” Dar claimed.
He said: “We now thought over the matter and decided to forgive them and release them.”
He assured that the boys will be released tomorrow.
A local police official here said: “We have to act against all those who destroy peace. He can be minor or an adult. We have arrested some boys, booked them and sent them to juvenile and central jails as per the law and rules. To release or bail them out is the job of administration.”
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, SJMGillani claimed the stone-pelting did not take place against the drowning incident. “They pelted stones on forces as usual. We have booked some youth. There are also some minors and they have been sent to rehabilitation center while adults have been lodged in Central Jail Srinagar,” he said.
