Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 1: A day after Jamat-e-Islami was banned by the Centre, at least two dozen activists of the party were arrested in overnight raids and over a dozen establishments of the party were sealed.
The ban order of Central Government said that it is of opinion that the JeI is in “close touch with militant outfits and is supporting extremism and militancy in J&K and elsewhere”.
The number of the leaders and activists of the JeI arrested for last one week is now over 300. These leaders and activists were arrested during night raids and even last night over two dozen leaders and activists of the Islamist party were arrested.
The administration with the help of police swooped on the offices of JeI across Kashmir and sealed at least one dozen establishments and its offices.
The offices and establishments were sealed on the direction of District Magistrates of the respective districts.
The sealed offices include Jamaat-e-Islami office at main town Kupwara. “The District office of JeI was searched and later it was sealed by the orders of District magistrate. The joint team comprised DySP Hq, Tehsildar and SHO Kupwara which sealed the district office of Jamaat-e-Islami, which will put an halt to all the functions of this office, an official said at Kupwara.
The district administration Bandipora also sealed office of Jamat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir at Bagh area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. A police team led by DySP and SHO Bandipora along with district officials sealed the office.
The Jamat-e-Islami offices were also sealed at Ganderbal and Pulwama after they were searched by the police and district officials.
There was stone pelting in Pulwama when the JeI office in Pulwama was locked. The protesters were, however, chased away by the security forces and police.
Earlier in the day, restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar and other major towns as a precautionary measure. Police and CRPF were deployed in strength at these places and movement of the people and vehicles was restricted.
Chairman of Hurriyat Conference was put under house arrest. In fact, he is under house arrest since NIA conducted raid on his house two days ago.
Meanwhile, protests were held after Friday prayers all across against banning of Jamat-e-Islami, raids by NIA and continuous arbitrary arrests.
The separatist Hurriyat Conference chairmen Mirwaiz Omar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik condemned the ban on the JeI.
“Post Pulwama attack, there has been a deliberate attempt to direct revenge against Kashmiri’s including attacks on students studying outside to mass arrests and crackdown, raids on homes of leadership and people across the valley to banning organisations and fiddling with 35A/370”, said the statement.
They said all this is being undertaken by the rulers in New Delhi in a sweeping and muscular manner by continuing with their Kashmir doctrine of force, to be seen as being tough on Kashmir and fulfilling their agenda over it in order to woo and consolidate their voters for electoral gains.
“People have to be vigilant and ready to defend this great assault against us as it is a matter of our very existence. It’s a do or die for Kashmiri’s who have staked all in the last 70 years of our struggle for self-determination having made tremendous sacrifices. We cannot let the sacrifices go in vain,” they said.
They also condemned the lockdown of Jamia Masjid Srinagar and disallowing of Friday prayers and restrictions in most parts of the city.
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