If democracy is battle of ideas, why people are being arrested ahead of elections: Er Rasheed

Sonawari: Expressing his displeasure over fresh arrest spree and nocturnal raids by police at various places in north Kashmir, AIP’s parliamentary candidate from Baramulla Er Rasheed said that in the name of ensuring political activities, police is summoning youth and all those having a different view point on electoral politics to police stations, which is unacceptable.
While addressing public gatherings at Shilvat, Sumbal, Rambirgrah, Turgam, Rohama and other places, Er Rasheed said, “Those calling democracy battle of ideas need to realize that summoning people to police stations in the name of conducting elections is itself murder of democracy.”
He said state government needs to ensure that people are not harassed and humiliated by calling them to police stations without a reason. “Police seems to be keen bent to destroy future of youth and by making them suspicious at all quarters. The irony is that those being arrested including majority of those who have never indulged in stone pelting or creating law and order issues,” he said.
Er Rasheed warned Governor Administration not to allow men in uniform just to help someone known for being a ‘stooge of Sang Parivar’, adding that “all those officers in civil and police administration getting indulged in various activities not in their domain, should be taken to task.”
“It is strange that the elections are being used to demoralize and silence those voices who may not cast their votes and that is why police is picking up youth from every corner as if every Kashmiris is a militant or Over Ground Worker,” he said.
Er Rasheed added that if harassment and humiliation does not stop, AIP will approach Election Commission of India to seek action against all those forces who are targeting innocents everywhere and have not guts and courage to fight their rivals publically.
While condemning Enforcement Directorate’s action against jailed pro-resistance leaders, Er Rasheed said that all these moves are politically motivated and will yield nothing.
Accusing NC and PC leaders of encouraging sectarian divide in Pattan and Sonawari areas, Er Rasheed said that the representatives of both these parties have miserably failed their people and have built their emperors by raising sectarian emotions and earning loyalties without giving back anything to them. He appealed people to defeat the designs of both these parties and vote for their conscience.