Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, July 6: Police today detained several separatist leaders and activists at Srinagar’s city centre for protesting against attaching of property of chairman of People’s League, Ghulam Mohammad Khan Sopori, at Chanapora, last week.
Over 30 activists of different separatist parties assembled at the Press Enclave here today and started raising slogans against the sealing of house of Ghulam Mohammad Khan Sopori, a close confidante of chairman hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The protesters included separatist leaders Javed Ahmad Mir (JKLF-Haqeeqi), Mohammad Yusuf Naqash (Islamic Political Party) and Zamrooda Habib (chairperson, Muslim Khawateen Markaz). The human rights activists were led by Mohammad Ahsan Untoo of Human Rights Forum.
The protesters raised slogans against the police action of sealing Khan Sopori’s house and said that Sopori is innocent and that he is not involved in any hawala transaction as claimed by the police. The separatist leaders and the human rights activists alleged that the State Government and the police are victimizing Khan Sopori.
The protesters said that since Khan Sopori has not budged before the State Government and the police he is being implicated in false case of hawala transactions. They demanded that the police should immediately unseal his house at Chanapora and allow him and his family members to live there.
Police arrested separatist leaders Javed Ahmad Mir and Mohammad Yusuf Naqash along with some human rights activists led by Mohammad Ahsan Untoo.
However, Zamrooda Habib was not arrested by the police and she was asked to leave the scene after the preventive detention of other separatist leaders. Zamrooda along with her supporters raised slogans in favour of Khan Sopori and left the place after some time.
It would be in place to mention here that police had sealed the house of senior separatist leader of hardline Hurriyat Conference and chairman of People’s League, Ghulam Mohammad Khan Sopori, at Chanapora in Srinagar for his alleged funding of Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) through Hawala transactions.
Police raided Khan’s house on June 30 at Hamdaniya Colony, Chanapora in Srinagar and asked him to vacate it. As Sopori left the house along with his family, police sealed the house. Police acted on the order of the then Director General of Police (DGP), Kuldeep Khoda, (Order No. 1762/2012 dated 18/05/2012) for attaching Khan’s house for funding Harkat-e-Jehad Islami militant outfit.
A case (under FIR number 84/2006 under sections 120B, 489C of Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), 7/25 of Arms Act and 40/A of Unlawful Activities (P) Act) against Sopori was being investigated by SDPO West, Dr. Shailender Mishra. The SDPO during his investigations of the case had found Sopori as conduct for the HJI and has been providing financial support to it through Hawala transactions.
However, Sopori while terming attaching of his house as victimization said that he is involved neither in hawala transactions nor in funding the militant organizations.
“I purchased the house along with three marlas of land in 1998 at a cost of Rs 1.75 lakhs. I purchased the house out of my own money and there is no hawala angle to it. I along with my wife, three sons and a daughter have no shelter and I have been victimized due to my allegiance with Hurriyat Conference,” said Sopori.
Meanwhile, JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik was arrested with some of his activists and workers at Sangam-Bijbehara while he was on his way to Kund-Qazigund. Malik was stopped by the personnel of Jammu and Kashmir Police and taken to the Bijbehara police station. He was not allowed to move further as he was scheduled to address a public rally at Kund.
A spokesman of the Front while condemning the police action said that State Government is trying its best to squeeze the space of the separatist leaders.
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