Police ‘thrash’ MLA,protests in Valley

The legislator had said on Wednesday he will continue the sit-in till action is taken against the policemen.

Ironically,Rashid was beaten up the day Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was in town on a public contact visit to reach out to people alienated by the current unrest. “Police had beaten up a driver earlier in the day and I was accompanying him to file an FIR at Handwara police station. They refused and when I insisted and explained that they have to file our complaint and that it was every citizen’s right,the policemen started beating me,” Rashid told The Indian Express about the incident.

“I was beaten up by 20 policemen,who punched me in my face and kicked me. Police have absolutely no regard for an elected public representative. They are absolutely out of control and feel that they can get away with anything.”

Senior police officers in north Kashmir were unavailable for comment. However,Station House Officer of Handwara police station Bashir Ahmad said one of Rashid’s workers had been beaten up at a checkpoint.

“The CM was visiting and there were strict security checks. Our information is that he (the driver) refused to come out of the vehicle for checking and was reportedly thrashed,” Bashir said.

“In the evening,he (Rashid) came to the police station with his worker and demanded that we file a report. We had an argument. He got angry and grabbed my and the munshi’s neck and even tore some papers. Then we threw him out of the police station.”

Rashid,who is known to enjoy a rapport with people in his constituency Langate,was the only legislator who preferred to stay inside his constituency during the current crisis instead of going to the insulated and comfortable official residence in Srinagar. The legislator personally monitors developmental works in his constituency and has exposed corruption in police and administration.

Rashid,an engineer,quit his job to contest the 2008 Assembly polls from Langate in Handwara. He won and lent support to the National Conference-Congress coalition. Of late,however,Rashid has distanced himself from the ruling coalition.

He hit headlines a few months ago when he filed a case against Army for “forced labour” and using villagers as human shields during anti-militancy operations.

PDP leaders lock Secretariat

SRINAGAR: In an unprecedented move,the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislators led by party president Mehbooba Mufti temporarily locked the main gate of civil secretariat. The PDP said the move was aimed to give the J-K government a sense of the “siege” they have laid on the Kashmir valley for the past one-and-a-half month.

“By locking the civil secretariat we wanted to give the government a taste of the siege it has laid on Kashmir,” said PDP senior vice-president Iftikhar Hussain Ansari.

As the civil secretariat security personnel stopped the mediapersons from going inside the secretariat,the PDP legislators marched out.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and most of his Cabinet colleagues had left the secretariat before the lockout.