SRINAGAR, Jan 3: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic President (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that she will write to the Union Home Minister about the arrest of a Srinagar youth who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on terror charges.
The family members of 19-year-old Arsalan Feroz of Zaldagar area of Srinagar who was arrested by NIA on December 31 met Mehbooba Mufti on Monday and apprised her about the whole case.
The NIA in its official statement had claimed that Arsalan is a TRF operative, however, the family term the charges as baseless.
We will write to the Home Minister of India, will talk to him also, if he (Arsalan) is innocent he should be released, Mehbooba said.
She said Arsalan was handed over by the family to the police on October 21 last year, and he was questioned in various police units for 40 days and was later released.
I don’t know why the NIA arrested him, even though the family handed him over to the agency. NIA claiming that he is TRF operative, but family saying otherwise, Mehbooba said.
“He is a student and not a mechanic. He was questioned for 40 days by police and given a clean chit. Why was he arrested and such an allegation was leveled against him.
He was also not a stone pelter and is innocent and there is also no FIR lodged against Arsalan in the past or present… Since the local police have no interference in the NIA matters, it is being looked after directly by the Home Ministry of India and we will write to the Home Ministry and will also speak to them, she said.
Arsalan was arrested on Thursday by the NIA which said he was an operative of ‘The Resistance Front’.
NIA conducted a search in Srinagar and arrested the TRF “operative”, Arsalan in a case of radicalizing, motivating and recruiting youth of J&K for the Lashkar-e-Toiba. The agency said till now four accused have been arrested in the instant case.
Regarding the recent protest held by the activists of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), after all senior leaders of the alliance were put under house arrest by the authorities in Srinagar, Mehbooba said, it was not only against the delimitation Commission report, but against the abrogation of 370 and Article 35A and all that authority which are being snapped day in and day out by the Central Government. (Agencies)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
