Afzal case: Protest continues, HC calls for strike

Srinagar, Sep 28: The police today resorted to force to quell agitating activists of breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) here, Delhi court's death sentence for Mohammad Afzal Guru, prime accused in the December 13 Parliament attack, in Tihar jail on October 20.

Meanwhile, the breakaway HC has given a general strike call tomorrow in protest against the court's order.

About 35 leaders and activists of the HC and Democratic Liberation Party (DLP) were also taken into custody while five, including a woman, were injured in police action.

The HC activists led by the General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Sumbji took to the streets from the Amalgam headquarters at Rajbagh.

However, when the procession reached near Zero bridge, the law enforcers stopped them from proceeding towards Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital.

When the irate mob refused to disperse, the police resorted to lathicharge and also fired teargas shells in which five people, including a woman activist of Muslim Khawateen Markaz (MKM) Asiya were injured.

Later, it took into custody about 20 HC leaders and activists including Firdous Ahmad Shah, Saleem Zargar and Bashir Ahmad Indrabi.

The police also resorted to lathicharge to disperse the activists of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party (DLP) at Regal Chowk near here.

Demanding immediate release of Afzal Guru, the DLP activists took to the streets at Lal Chowk.

However, after marching through different streets in the civil lines, the cops tried to stop them from proceeding towards the Moulana Azad road.

Later, the police resorted to baton-charge to disperse the crowd.

More than a dozen activists were later taken into custody.

The chairman of the breakaway HC Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the death sentence has been given to Afzal despite no evidence against him.

This is an act of vengeance against Kashmiris, he said.

UNI

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