Police proceeds against 9 accused for hoisting IS flags
Jammu Tawi, October 25, (KIP)-In a significant development, authorities in
embroiled Jammu and Kashmir have accorded sanction for instituting legal
proceedings against nine persons arraigned with hoisting an Islamic
State (IS) flag over two years back in 2014.
According to official sources, the JK Police has already validated a
prima facie case against the accused, the gazette notification avers,
“the appointed authority by the state government has independently
scrutinized the case diary and documents relevant to the case and has
come to the conclusion that this case is fit for prosecution sanction
against the accused persons”.
Some unidentified protesting youths had unfurled black flag of Islamic
State (IS) on October 17, 2014 near Jamia Masjid (Grand Mosque) in
downtown city of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Himalayan state,
after Friday prayers. The police had registered a case against them in
a nearby police station then and said that their investigation
exhibited that nine persons were associated with the incident.
As the government is of the firm view that there is sufficient
evidence and material available against the accused persons and they
have been booked under section 13 of the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act-UAPA. (Section-13 mentions punishment for taking part
in or inciting, assisting, advocating, abetting or committing in any
unlawful activity). This makes the government's sanction mandatory for
prosecution.
Pertinent to mention here, Jamaat I Islami handlers in Kashmir in
cahoots with Pakistan's notorious Inter State Intelligence (ISI)
experimented with the option of unfurling IS flags in some parts of
the valley in an attempt to intensify the turmoil in Kashmir.
However, swift and sudden withdrawal of the controversial IS flag by
the protesting stone throwers and by the both factions of Separatists
outfits besides some prominent members of Kashmir civil society did
unsettle the plan and is attributed to the presence of sizable
Kashmiri Muslim Diaspora in Saudi Arabia who conveyed the Monarchy's
displeasure and disapproval of brandishing IS flags and ideology to
Kashmiri protesters with clear instruction to underplay such
incidents.
Sources in the winter capital, however, said the accused were not
motivated and had raised the flag only to ‘bruise the feelings' of
Government of India and also seek international attention towards
their Kashmir cause.
