NC stages protest, alleges mass arrests in Valley

Srinagar, Sept 1: Opposition National Conference(NC) today staged a sit-in outside the Civil Secretariat here to protest against continued use of pellet guns and killings in Kashmir.

The party has also alleged that arrests on mass scale are being made in the Valley from the past two-three days and people were sustaining injuries everyday during processions.

"In night hours, they (police) go into the houses of people (for arrests). Everyday 100-300 children sustain injuries, elderly persons sustain injuries which is totally in contrast to the government's claim that they have no objections if peaceful processions are taken out," NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said reporters.

"It is a symbolic dharna. The government has been maintaining that pellet guns would be banned. That has not been done and then another youth was killed in Nadihal yesterday. We are protesting against that," Sagar said.

The NC leader warned the state as well as the Central government of further deterioration of the situation in the Valley.

"We are warning the state as well as the Central government that if the situation continues to remain as such, it will deteriorate further. It is also giving an opportunity to Hurriyat to issue protest and strike programmes, he said.

He charged that Government has failed and it exists only on papers.

"It seems, this Government has already failed and now its existence is only on papers. And, only some ministers by holding meeting inside the rooms of (Civil) Secretariat are trying to give an impression that there is a Government.

The Government is nowhere. No one is listening to the Government.

And, I think all the state machinery has gone out of their control. The Union Home Minister had assured that in two days the (use of) pellet guns (against protesters) would be stopped. But, till today the use of pellet guns has not stopped," he said.

Some of the NC leaders were detained by the police but later released.

PTI