KL NEWS NWTORK
SRINAGAR
The nocturnal raids and subsequent detention of youth in Beerwah tehsil of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district sparked a protest and shutdown on Thursday.
Protesters while demanding the immediate release of six youth resorting to stone-pelting in the town while police claimed that the arrested youth have been arrested on charges of stone-pelting.
A police official told CNS that in wake of Handwara episode scores of youth here indulged in stone-pelting causing injuries to many cops. “We had registered a case against the stone-pelters. Some of them have been arrested while some are still at large,” he said.
Locals, however, refuted the police claim stating that arrested youth are not stone-pelters. “There was a protest in the town against the civilian killings in Handwara and Kupwara. People protested peacefully but police labelled them stone-pelters,” they said.
Reports said that all the shops and business establishments remained shut in the town while protesters blocked the traffic on the road. “There will be no let-up in protests till arrested youth are released,” the locals said.
