Srinagar: Awami Itehaad Party (AIP) president and MLA Langate, Engineer Abdul Rasheed Sheikh was detained by the police after he tried to visit South Kashmir’s Shopian district to protest against the killing of woman on Tuesday during an encounter.

“Police today disallowed Er Rasheed from visiting Shopian where the party had planned a protest march against the killing of Ruby Jan at the hands of security forces,” AIP spokesman said in a statement issued here.

He said that Er Rasheed was detained by police on way to Shopian and lodged in police station Rajbagh.

A Party spokesman condemned the police action and added that the government has lost the moral battle and is ruling only through the barrel of the gun.

“The claims of police officials that people are themselves responsible for the incidents claiming human lives by visiting encounter sites proved the fact that militants enjoy a popular support. Security agencies must introspect that why people risk their lives and feel their lives more insecure at the hands of security forces than the militants,” he said.

He said that “it is disgraceful that the forces first kill Kashmiris and then don’t allow even to mourn their murders. If the government sincerely believes that forces are innocent and killings take place because of cross fire it must allow everybody including political activists of different thoughts to visit the ground zero to find out the truth.”

He said that however, strict restrictions and caging genuine voices have exposed the government beyond doubt.

The spokesman urged Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to move beyond her traditional condolences, shedding crocodile tears and said that she has failed miserably to carry out the duty for which people had voted her to power.

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