Days after the annual Karbal conference at Pandrathan Srinagar, three persons have been booked for causing enmity between religious groups.
Official sources told The Kashmiriyat that three persons identified as Ashiq Hussain of Dangerpora Bandipora, Molvi Bashir Ahmed from Nowgam area of Sonwari and Moualana Ali Mohammed Jan of Khanda area in Budgam were arrested after the event in Srinagar’s Pandrethan area.
The families of the accused said that the family of Ashiq Hussain received a call from Sumbal Bandipora informing him of the FIR registration against him at Pantha Chowk Police station. “On Monday morning, he got a call from the Police station after which he was taken from Sumbal to Pantha Chowk,” said Ashiq’s brother.
He said that Ashiq had just recited a Nouha (parts of poem of mourning). “We do not know what crime had he done. We demand that he should be released immediately,” said his brother.
The development was confirmed by Majlis Ulma e Imamia, a prominent Shis body based in the Kashmir valley. “The unwarranted arrest of a Nouha Khwan and two prominent Shia Ulema have caused deep anguish among the Muslims of the Kashmir valley. The three were merely arrested for mourning the death of Imam e Hussain and remembering his quest against the falsehood,” the organization said in a press release.
Demanding the immediate release of the three, Majlis Ulma e Imamia said, “Such moves are not welcome, and they just cause anger among people,” they said.
Moulana Abid, a prominent Shia cleric from Srinagar who is also a member of Anjuman e Sharian Shia has also demanded the release of the trio while calling the arrests “unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, official sources told The Kashmiriyat that the three have been arrested for enimity between two groups. He said that the trio is lodged at Police station Pantha chowk and have been booked under the section 153A of the India Penal Code.