Srinagar, March 19, 2019 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has strongly condemned the custodial killing of a 28-year-old school teacher, Rizwan Asad Pandit who was picked up by the Special Operations Group and National Investigation Agency a few days ago and was brutally killed in custody at SOG’s Cargo camp, today.
Paying glorious tributes to martyr Rizwan, the JRL in a statement issued in Srinagar, today, expressed sympathy with his bereaved family. Terming this brutal killing as gruesome, the JRL said this custodial killing is not only one of its kinds but prior to this, hundreds and thousands of young and old Kashmiris have been killed in this manner. It said that this killing has actually increased the vulnerability of Kashmiri inmates languishing in different jails of India and jails of Kashmir, and jeopardized their lives.
Announcing a comprehensive protest programme against the Indian state terrorism, the JRL said people will observe a complete and comprehensive protest strike on Wednesday (Tomorrow) against the gruesome custodial killing of Rizwan Asad, policies of intimidation and harassment by police, SOG and other Indian investigative agencies, arbitrary arrests, slapping of draconian PSA, summoning political activists to SOG camps and thus creating atmosphere of fear in Jammu Kashmir.
On Thursday, March 21st, the JRL appealed all segments of society including traders, lawyers, bar association, civil society, and others from different walks of life to peacefully protest against the custodial killing and assaults on Kashmiris. On Friday, March 22nd, 2019, after Friday (Juma) prayers, people at all Masajid, Khanqahs and Imam Baras will raise their voices peacefully against this custodial killing by NIA and SOG and continuing policy of oppression unleashed by India.
The JRL said that those who raise their voice against the killing of our youth their arrests and slapping with PSA are branded as “anti-national “and threatened with dire consequences and intimidation. The JRL said that while crackdown and arrest spree against political and religious activists and youth continued unabated on the other hand SOG had been calling political activists and youth to SOG cargo camp to intimidate them and create an atmosphere of fear among people in general. JRL said through their investigative agencies NIA and ED, the authorities have let loose a reign of terror to instill fear among people and harass them.
The JRL said that people of Kashmir have borne tremendous hardships and suffering for the last three decades especially, all because they are asking for an end to the conflict through peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute as per the people’s wishes but instead people are being crushed.
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