Srinagar (Pakistan Point News / Online - 24th November, 2019) In occupied Kashmir, political detainees staged a protest inside the MLA Hostel, declared sub jail, after the complaint that the forces' personnel unzipped the top of a politician's two-year-old son and frisked the child and other relatives of the inmates.A relative of detained National Conference leader, Tanvir Sadiq, spoke about the frisking. Sadiq is an aide to former chief minister Omar Abdullah.
Sadiq's relatives said the forces had frisked several relatives who had assembled at the gate to meet the detained politicians. Twice a week, the families meet the detainees, who have been in custody since the August 5 clampdown linked to the revocation of J&K's special status.The relative said a two-year-old child was frisked. "The police unzipped the boy's top and frisked him while he was in his mother's lap. Some other children were also frisked.
This enraged them (the detained politicians) and they raised a hue and cry."A few days ago, even some jailed politicians were manhandled while they were being shifted from the Centaur Hotel, which had been turned into a jail, to the MLA Hostel.Family members of some of the detained politicians had recently protested outside the hostel over reports about inadequate heating facilities. A cold wave has gripped Kashmir, with temperatures plummeting below zero.
Iltija Mufti, daughter of the detained former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, tweeted about the frisking. "Today, a detainee's infant son was nearly strip searched & this resulted in an altercation between political detainees police," tweeted Iltija, who is operating Mehbooba's handle.Iltija said the politicians were being treated worse than "hardened criminals". She added that it was being conveyed that the release of the detainees would depend on their "willingness to join a new political front in J&K"
