Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Feb 24: Irate people of Mulay Talab and adjoining areas blocked Jammu-Kathua National Highway today in protest against the death of a youth whom they alleged was killed by some goons during late last night.
According to reports, the protestors including women along with the dead body of Anil Kumar S/o Hans Raj of Mulay Talab squatted first on National Highway near District Hospital Kathua and disrupted the movement of vehicular traffic there.
As there was a huge traffic jam police swung into action and used force to disperse the mob.
Later, they again assembled on National Highway at Kalibari near here and blocked the NH for hours together. There was a huge traffic jam on NH for miles together. Seeing situation going beyond the control police again swung into action and resorted to lathicharge on protesting mob. This forced the mob to disperse.
The protestors while condemning the police action said that no senior officer of police or civil administration visited them to find out the reason of their protest.
The protestors said that Rakesh had gone to a medical shop at Mulay Talab yesterday evening to purchase some medicines where he was thrashed by two goons.
Later they also made a complaint with the police and police again tortured Rakesh and his dead body was found by the family in the morning hanging with the ceiling fan on one of the rooms in their house.
The family members and other villagers while expressing their anger against the action of police and two goons took the dead body to National Highway and protested there.
However, SHO Kathua, S S Slathia denied that police had tortured the youth. He said neither any complaint was made against the youth in Police Station Kathua nor he was brought for questioning in the Police Station.
He said the people were protesting against one Sultan Khan alleging that he was responsible for the death of the youth and be arrested.
He said there were reports with police that the youth was hooligan.
The dead body was later taken for postmortem. The police also called the two suspects to PS Kathua for questioning but it has registered a case under Section 174.
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