Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 16: Police today disengaged a woman Special Operation Officer from services and arrested her for glorifying militancy and also obstructing Government official from his duty in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said that on 14th April after receiving specific input regarding the presence of militants in Karewa Mohallah of village Frisal, a search operation was launched.
“During the course of search, the search party was obstructed by a woman identified as Saima Akther daughter of Ghulam Nabi Rah, resident of Frisal. The woman resisted the search party and turned violent, and uttered statements glorifying violent actions of terrorism. She captured a video through her personal phone and forwarded it on social media platforms with the aim of disrupting the search”, he said.
He said that taking cognizance of the matter, the woman SPO has been arrested and disengaged from service.
A case (FIR No 19/2021 U/S 353 IPC, 13 UAP Act) was registered in Police Station Yaripora and investigation of the case is in progress.
The woman in the video that she circulated on social media alleged that security forces come to search her house often without any reason. “They come daily and what do they get. They didn’t allow us to take Sehri. We won’t get frightened. Kashmir is ours. They come daily here. If you have to search you have to remove your shoes”, she said in the video.
“Last time you came and my ailing mother was alone. You are thieves”, she told the cops in the video. If they (militants) would have been here, they would have fired in their hearts”, she said.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbboba Mufti termed police action as “cruel”.
“Saima Akhter from Kulgam has been slapped with UAPA for raising legitimate questions about searching her home repeatedly without any reasons. Saima’s ailing mother understandably exacerbated her worries. When it comes to cruelty even women aren’t spared in Naya Kashmir,” she tweeted.
While terming the arrest and disengagement of the SPO as a step taken in haste, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said that instead of lodging FIR and taking harsh measures such incidents must be dealt with persuasion.
“Apparently this incident is an outburst of anger and should have not been dealt with harshly. Alleged harassment of common people is the reason for such incidents. It is high time that law enforcing agencies have a relook at the situation and ensure common people are not harassed as its results are not positive”, he said.
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