Family of Budgam youth arrested for Jaish links stage protest; say ‘our son innocent’

Srinagar: Family members of a youth arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir for being an Over Ground Worker (OGW) Thursday staged a protest stating that their son was a labourer by profession and had no militant links and that he was picked up from his home on July 13. The family members of the arrested youth also alleged that police had picked their son for keeping his mobile phone off.
Ajaz Ahmad Wani, a resident of Chadoora, Budgam, who was arrested along with two others from a Naka point yesterday, as per the police had links with the militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad. “My son was arrested from his house on July 13 for keeping his phone off. He had shop but left that and was working at his home.
He is master in embroidery work and was working at his home when police team picked him up,” Haleema, the mother of Wani said . “How come was my son arrested at a Nakapoint at Chadoora yesterday. Police is lying about my son. I along with husband even met the concerned officer in the past over a week at police station where we were promised that our son will be released. Now all of a sudden he has been dubbed as an OGW.”
She made a fervent appeal to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar to intervene and find out the truth about her son. “I am already a heart patient and survived one heart attack last year. If my son is not released, I will die for sure,” she said in a broken voice. “I appeal IGP Kashmir to arrest me and my husband too but keep us with our son, who is only hope for us.”
The head of the native village of the arrested youth said as far as he knows Aijaz, he is a nice person and didn’t have any suspicious behavior ever since he grew up. “All villagers know that Aijaz has no militant links,” he said.
Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested three militant associates in Chadoora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district at a naka point and later claimed that they were associated with Jaish outfit. However, deputy commissioner Budgam, Shahbaz Mirza assured that investigation will be done and we will look into their matter