Bhopal, January 02 (Pervez Bari): Two Kashmiri youths moving suspiciously have been arrested here by Bhopal Police in Talaiyya locality of the city. The arrests were made after Friday midnight when the New Year celebrations in the city were on.
Addressing a Press conference here on Saturday Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police S. K. Raut told news persons that the duo have revealed their names as Shaukat Ahmed Hakim, son of Ghulam Mohammad Hakim, and Merajuddin Shergujari, son of Ghulam Khalid, both residents of Bandipur in Jammu and Kashmir state. The investigations are underway while the J & K Police has been informed. A police team from that state is expected to reach Bhopal soon as cases were registered against them in Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
Replying to questions DGP Raut said the youth are accused in two cases in Jammu and Kashmir related to unlawful and terrorist activities. When asked about their HUJI links, Mr. Raut refused to comment and said that the interrogation is on. He said that no weapon was recovered from them and they were arrested after a tip off from Jammu and Kashmir police.
According to sources the youths, allegedly Hurriyat Conference members, are said to have been booked for stone pelting and other minor crimes in the recent round of violence in Kashmir and to evade arrest were on the run.
It may be pointed out here that though the DGP Raut did not label the youth as terrorists and even refused to name them as members of any terror outfit. However, the local media and even an international news channel dubbed them as members of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, (HuJI), terrorist organization. A leading evening daily went further ahead and said the youth were found to possess incriminating documents along with arms and ammunition. The DGP had clearly mentioned in his Press briefing that the youth did not possess any weapon when they were arrested.
These unsubstantiated facts are said to have been spread by the district police to sensationalize the issue and give weight to their acts of having laid hands on some internationally wanted militants having cross border connections to draw national and international media publicity and hog limelight.
DGP Raut, it is learnt, did not fall in the trap and did not buckle to the pressure to name the youths having national or international militant links. (pervezbari@eth.net)