A mother-daughter duo have been arrested here for protesting what they alleged was the killing of two innocent youths in a staged encounter by the security forces, angering Kashmiris across the divide.
Before the 2019 scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, police would rarely arrest women. However, several women have been arrested or booked since then as part of the government’s new hardline policy to prevent protests.
Afroza Akhtar, in her 50s, and her daughter Ayesha, in her 20s, were arrested on Tuesday after the police raided their residence at the Wanbal Rawalpora locality of Srinagar.
The area had witnessed an alleged gunfight in nearby Rangreth a day earlier in which the police claimed to have killed two Lashkar militants. Soon after the purported gun battle, locals, including women, took to the streets and questioned the police’s claims. They alleged that the police had killed two innocent youths and branded them as militants.
In a video, the women are seen booing the security forces as the troops leave the locality. Some youths, joined by a few women, also hurled stones at the forces, leading to a clash between the two sides.
The police said they had lodged an FIR on Tuesday evening and later arrested Afroza and Ayesha. They have been booked for rioting, unlawful assembly and causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
The mother and daughter are lodged at the women’s police station at Ram Bagh.The police said the two were identified from footage of the protests. In the video, only a girl’s face was visible while the others were wearing veils. The girl was not among those seen in the video throwing stones.
The Valley has witnessed a spate of controversial gunfights this year, prompting many to allege they are staged. Last month, the security forces killed two Srinagar businessmen and an office assistant in Hyderpora. The police had claimed that two of them were associates of militants while the other was a civilian who died in crossfire. Locals, however, said all three were innocent.
Rangreth residents said gunfire could be heard for barely a few minutes on Monday, which had made them suspicious about the police’s claims.
“They are killing innocent people. Anybody walks on the road and they shoot him and then claim he was a militant…. My brother studies in Class X. Tomorrow, if he goes out and is shot and they will say he was a militant, should we agree?” a girl, apparently one of the two arrested persons, said in Tuesday’s video.
“How can they end a gunfight in two-to-four minutes? Where are the guns, we need proof they were militants,” she added.
Another woman claimed the two slain persons had no weapons and could have been arrested instead.
The police said it was a “brief chance encounter” in which “A” category militant Aadil Wanbi and his Pakistani associate were killed.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said arresting women “marks a new low for the administration that persecutes civilians only to please their masters in Delhi”.
People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone, believed to be close to the BJP government at the Centre, criticised the administration.
“It is extremely suffocating to live in a place where the government’s sword is perpetually hanging over our heads.This administration has gone berserk and is arresting people every minute. These actions are in brazen violation of democratic and civilized norms.”
A Hurriyat spokesman said it was unfortunate that “mere raising of slogans is seen as a threat by those in authority”.