Details

Written by: Current News Service

Created: 07 March 2019

LUCKNOW: UP Police have arrested couple of goons who thrashed Kashmiri vendors in Lucknow city of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. Police swung into action after social media users expressed resentment and anguish over the incident. A couple of videos that are viral show how a couple of men in saffron attire thrash two Kashmiri vendors. One of them escaped from the spot while the timely intervention from a local saved another Kashmiri from getting beaten up.

While reacting over the incident former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took to twitter appreciated the action of UP police. “I hope that the others involved in this hate crime are also identified and made to feel the full weight of the law.”

A police official from Daliganj area told news agency CNS that they have arrested three accused in this connection. He said that the accused are affiliated with lesser known Vishwa Hindu Dal and have booked under FIR number 80/2019 under section 147, 323, 504 IPC. He identified the arrested persons as Bajran Sonakar, Amar Mishra and Himanshu Awasti. “The culprit Bajrang Sonkar has criminal background and has 12 cases including a murder case against him,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry condemned the assault on two Kashmiri dry fruit vendors in Lucknow. A spokesperson of the KCC&I said that more condemnable than the attack was done by “goons and hooligans” in Uttar Pradesh and other States. The registration of the case under weak and feeble provisions of rioting and breach of peace, for which only one person has been “booked”, seems to have been intentionally done to facilitate the early release of the culprit.

The videos of the incident clearly show it to be a case of attempt to “murder” and how the Uttar Pradesh police interpreted it to be a case of one man riot is indicative of external influence. The State of Uttar Pradesh has by its brazen patronage, shown scant regard for the directions of the Supreme Court of India issued to, among others, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, for taking prompt and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat and assault on Kashmiris.

Nasir Hamid Khan, Senior Vice President, KCC&I urged the Governor Satya Pal Malik to use his good offices for ensuring that cases are registered for an attempt to “murder” and other stringent provisions of criminal law against the goons and the organizations they belong to. There was enough evidence for invocation of these provisions and it would also act as a deterrent to others thinking of targeting innocent people in the future.

He said that the KCC&I was hopeful that the Supreme Court would take note of the complicity of various State’s who were registering cases under weak provisions of law. This conduct has resulted in goons and hooligans being emboldened to post videos of their murderous assaults on social media. In the interest of providing justice to the growing number of victims of assault and intimidation, the KCC&I would also be consulting the J&K High Court Bar Association, Srinagar regarding demand for setting up of a Special Trial Court, registration of criminal proceedings in Srinagar or other legal remedies available as a free and fair trial outside Kashmir seemed impossible in the prevalent hostile condition.