NC holds protest march against custodial death of school teacher
SRINAGAR, MAR 21 (PTK): National Conference (NC) today took protest march against custodial death of a school teacher Rizwan Asad Pandith.
Senior NC leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar, Nasir Sogami, Mubarak Gul, Shameema Firdous and Sabiha Qadri led the protest rally from the party headquarters at Nawa-e-Subh.
The protesters marched from party headquarters at Nawa-e-Subh complex towards Lal Chowk. However, they were stopped by a posse of police at Tourist Reception Centre.
The protesters were chanting anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slogans and demanded stern punishment for the people responsible for the death of 29-year-old Rizwan Asad Pandith.
“The killers should be dealt as per law and stern punishment should be meted out whosoever is responsible. There has to be a thorough investigation in the killing,” demanded Sogami.
Sogami said that death of youth in custody is condemnable and to carry out a protest today was aimed to convey a message that such killings are unacceptable to the people of Kashmir.
“Though such killings have taken place in the past but now, the era has changed and it is unacceptable to people of Kashmir as we have moved far much ahead from the previous scenario,” he said.
He said arresting and killing people in custody won’t be tolerated by the people of Kashmir.
Earlier on Wednesday National Conference said that Government must clarify under whose custody the murder of Awantipora youth happened.
NC said an FIR should be registered in the matter against the officials concerned.
“Whether the youth was in the custody of NIA or police, the responsibility lies at the door of the governor. The young teacher was in the custody of the state,” NC chief spokesman Aga Roohullah said.
Students at the University of Kashmir also staged a protest against the custodial death of Pandith and summons issued to Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Omar Abdullah demanded exemplary punishment to those responsible for the death of Pandith.
PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti while reacting over the custodial death of the Awantipora youth said that GoI’s repressive approach has left young educated men vulnerable who are forced to take up arms.
Peoples Conference Chief Sajad Lone in his reaction said that ‘this is what sanctity of human life has been reduced to in Kashmir.’ (PTK)
