Srinagar, Feb 21: Trashing the J&K CID report, which alleged that the Srinagar Central Jail had become a “hub” for militant recruitment, the Joint Hurriyat leadership has said that instead it was “police torture, humiliation and aggression” which was responsible for new youth joining militancy.
“CID report and other news items published by section of media blaming Kashmiri inmates are most ridiculous and absurd,” this was stated by the leadership trio – Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik in a joint press release issued to media on Wednesday.
Calling the report as “most illogical, ridiculous and bundle of lies”, the Joint Hurriyat said that following recent escape of an inmate from SMHS hospital, the government and police have started “penalizing political prisoners and other inmates especially at central jail Srinagar”.
“After a series of false and concocted reports by some journalists, bias Indian media channels and papers, dozens of innocent political inmates have been shifted to outside valley jails but to tighten noose against other inmates ridiculous reports are being framed and spread through media and other means,” the trio said.
On Tuesday, news gathering agency PTI, quoting from the CID report, had reported that the “role of the Central Jail is presently so important that every new militant is recruited only after approval from inside the prison.”
“Terming CID report blaming traditional Ameer-I-Zindan institution for all mess and terming it as a parallel administration running and facilitating militancy as a blatant lie, the Joint Hurriyat said that from Mahaz-I-Raishumari days in 1960s, Ameer-I-Zindan institution has been a forum facilitating good relations between jail authorities and inmates and often this forum has benefited Jail authorities to run jails smoothly but today this forum is also being slandered to inflict more trouble on Kashmiri inmates.”
“…authorities are telling us that Srinagar central jail and people lodged there are promoting, recruiting and facilitating militancy from this jail. This is a deliberate attempt to shift blame as it is not the central jail or other raison d’être but it is police torture, humiliation and aggression that is responsible for new youth joining armed struggle,” they said.
The joint Hurriyat added that one inmate escaped from SMHS but five others who were with him at the same hospital returned to jail on their own.
“Nobody is discussing this aspect of the story but instead of that those who chose to return back are now being victimized and terrorized by police, CID and agencies and are being blamed for recruiting militants.”
“Prior to 1988, it was police atrocities, torture and humiliations which pushed a whole generation to the wall and youth of Kashmir were forced to pick guns and start a new phase of people’s resistance.”
The leadership said that from 2008 till now, Kashmiris, at the behest of international community “transformed their struggle, started a new non-violent revolution and are continuing with that but instead of honoring this peaceful gesture of Kashmiris, India chose to crush it with iron fist and killed hundreds of young, old, men and women including children with impunity.”
The leadership said that “police and agency behavior was and is responsible for pushing our new generation towards armed struggle and not some jail inmates who are being victimized for the crimes committed by so-called rulers and their authorities”.
“Victimizing Kashmiri inmates on the pretext of an escape incident is actually a part of operation all out that is going on all level,” it said.
Joint Hurriyat trashes CID report on Central Jail
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