Police have booked a 10-year-old boy for his alleged involvement in stone pelting and waving Pakistani flags outside historic Jamia Masjid in Shaher-e-Khaas here.
Muhammad Ismail Khan, a resident or Gurez area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, presently putting up in Nowhatta area, was arrested recently on charges of stone pelting.
Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Nowhatta, Aijaz Mir, said two FIRs have been registered against the boy.
“We don’t disagree that he is a minor, but he is a chronic stone pelter. He has been sent to Juvenile Home and will face trial in the Juvenile Court. He has been counseled and his parents were also brought to the police station,” Mir said.
Police sources said that Ismail has been booked under FIR number 23/2016 under sections 149/152, 336, 332 and 353. He is wanted in another FIR lodged in police station Zaina Kadal. Ismail’s father Abdul Aziz said, “My son is a minor and was detained while he tried to run during a stone pelting incident on March 11 at Nowhatta.”
“After producing the date of birth certificate of my son before Chief Judicial Magistrate, the court sought report from the police. It took eight days for police to prepare the report. My minor son is not a stone-pelter. I will plead his case before the Home Minister,” he said.
Pertinently, on March 11 police had arrested 10 youth including two minors, Ismail and Amir, after stone pelting incident at Nowhatta. “We have called the parents of all the youth for counseling. Most of the youth have admitted that they are doing a wrong thing and won’t indulge in stone pelting again,” a police officer said. He said that Ismail is likely to get bail soon “but he has to face a trial.” “He was caught red handed and we can prove he is a chronic stone pelter,” the officer said. “Though he is not the only one who would wave Pakistani flags, but he is one among the regular who would always do it outside Jamia Masjid and later mingle with crowd and resort to stone pelting,” he alleged.
