Srinagar, July 28: In disputed state of Kashmir,
police seized huge quantity of relief material raised by the people of
Shopian for the residents of Srinagar, who were under curfew and
restrictions for last one month, near Sonawar and detained nearly 60
youth.
Policemen seized 40 relief-laden vehicles and detained people in Sonawar and Pantha Chowk areas on Tuesday. The vehicles were carrying rice, vegetables, cooking oil and other
essential commodities from Shopian area to Maisuma. “We had pooled
essential commodities and dispatched to Srinagar where people are facing
shortage of essentials stuff due to curfew and restrictions. But it is
unfortunate that police didn’t allow us to distribute the relief among
the needy,” said an elderly man from Shopian who was accompanying the
relief-laden trucks. “The vehicles were carrying items worth Rs 10 to 12
lakh,” he added.
As soon as the caravan of vehicles entered the city near Pantha
Chowk, police raided the vehicles at several places up to Ram Munshi
Bagh Police Station.
“We were travelling smoothly,” said Shabir Ahmad Butt, a relief
worker of Shopian town. “As we reached near Ram Munshi Bagh Police
Station, police stopped us and forced us to enter police station along
with vehicles.”
President of Majlis-e-Mashwarat Committee, Shopian, Abdur Rashid
Dalal said 40 Tata mobile vehicles were carrying relief. “Twenty-eight
vehicles carrying aid were from Shopian town while the rest joined the
cavalcade from peripheral villages while travelling toward the city,”
said Dalal, who is detained at Ram Munshi Bagh Police Station.
“The relief was organised and transported by people of Shopian. The MMC had no role in the relief sending,” Dalal said. However, after forceful protests in Shopian and Pulwama and the tense
mood in Maisuma, police was frced to release the vehicles and all aid
workers in shifts after keeping them in police stations for several
hours. (Writer-South Asia)
