Behind every successful man is a woman. This maxim seems to have inspired police to release a stone pelting accused whose detention was coming in way of his proposed marriage.
 Arif (name changed), a man in his running 20s from Safa Kadal area was scheduled to tie the nuptial knot sometime back. But a few days ahead of the function, the City police caught him on charges of being involved in stone pelting during the ongoing unrest.

RELEASE PLEAS
 Sources said the police was reluctant to release him and was about to get a Public Safety Act slapped when his marriage prospects popped up in the police files.
 “The members from the would be bride and the groom’s family came to us requesting for his release,” says Farhat Jeelani, the concerned Thana SHO.
 At first the police is learnt to have told the families that let they postpone the marriage and “see what the fate of his stone pelting involvement” has to decide for Arif.
 But the would be bride’s family pleaded “social compulsions” and knocked the doors of senior police officials to get him released.
 “Basically two sisters were scheduled to get married on the same day and postponement of one daughter’s marriage or of both of them could put the family to inconvenience,” admits Superintendent of Police North City, Shokat Shah.

CONDITIONAL RELEASE
 Sources said the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, Shiv Morari Sahai has asked his force to be compassionate towards such cases. This seems to have worked in Arif’s case.
 Police sought a written consent from the two families that the accused wouldn’t resort to stone pelting any further.
 This the family agreed to “guaranteeing his normal behavior post marriage.”
 “Basically, we too thought that marriage can play a role in the change of his behavior,” says the SP.
 Why so? “She is educated and a teacher by profession where as the accused is school dropout. The former can teach some lessons to the latter,” the Shah replies.
 “The ‘home ministry’ will tame him. This has been true for many since ages,” quips his colleague.

PATI, PATNI AUR VERIFICATION
 For now, Arif is married, and a “free man”. But he has to regularly appear before police for the “re-verification of his credentials”.
 “We released him on humanitarian grounds but can’t take any chances on his behavior so he has to appear before us as and when required,” says a police official.

PLAYING CARDS
 Call it publicity stunt or awareness campaign, but the police for sometime has been trying to project its human face in countering the ongoing unrest, which claimed at-least 112 civilian lives and left over 2000 wounded.
 The cops have started holding frequent Police Public meets and seek public suggestions.
 Interestingly, at a recent one held at Police Control Room Batamaloo, the police officials had offered willingness to even donate blood pints in case of civilian causalities.

BOTTOMLINE
 Luck favored Arif as he got released. After marriage another big day came his way: the three-day long Eid-ul-Azha festival, which he celebrated with his family.
 But then life, like luck, was not the same for other detainees picked up during the ongoing unrest. In a goodwill gesture ahead of the Eid, the state government released but mere 14 of them while hundreds of others continue to languish in lockups and jails!

Lastupdate on : Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 20 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST