Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 1: Police today detained Opposition National Conference (NC) leaders and senior workers who were protesting outside Civil Secretariat here against use of force including pellet guns and arrests across Kashmir valley.
Led by its General Secretary and party legislator from Khanyar constituency, Ali Muhammad Sagar, the NC leaders and workers appeared on the main entrance of Civil Secretariat and raised slogans against the ongoing killings of civilians. The Opposition party protesters were carrying placards inscribed with slogans against arrests and pellet guns.
Speaking to reporters, Sagar said that they are protesting against the ongoing ‘mass arrests’, use of force against protesters and also against continued use of pellet guns. “We have seen arrests on mass scale from two-three days. In night hours, they go into the houses of people (for arrests) and yesterday’s incident at Nadihal, where a young boy was killed and six persons were injured,” he said.
Sagar said: “Everyday 100-150-300 children sustain injuries, elderly persons sustain injuries, which is totally in contrast of this Government’s claim that they have no objections if peaceful processions are taken out.”
Accusing PDP-BJP Coalition Government of failure, the senior NC leader said that the present Government “only exists on papers”.
“Only some ministers by holding meeting inside the rooms of Civil Secretariat are trying to give an impression that this is Government. The Government is nowhere. No one is hearing to Government,” he said, adding “I think all the State machinery has gone out of their control.”
Sagar said despite assurance by Home Minister, the use of pellet guns has not been stopped. “Only yesterday, the youths in large numbers were hit by the pellets and the arrests are being carried out on mass level, the people are being harassed by barging into their houses,” he said.
As NC protesters continued to block entry to Civil Secretariat, the police already present there swung into action and bundled NC leaders including Mian Altaf and Salman Sagar into armoured vehicles and foiled the protest.
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