Authorities on Saturday slapped the public safety act (PSA) on a Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) leader and a Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) activist, who were arrested in Ganderbal district following their participation in the funeral of professor-turned-militant Mohammad Rafi Bhat, last weekend.
Sources said that PSA was slapped on JeI leader Bashir Ahmad Lone and TeH activist Mohammad Rafiq Shah.
The duo was arrested following their participation in funeral of Bhat at Chanduna village, where they had reportedly delivered speeches.
Lone, a resident of Saidapora Harwan is JeI’s Srinagar district president, while as Shah who is a TeH activist hails from Shuhama Ganderbal.A spokesperson of Jamiat-e-Islami (JeI) Advocate Zahid Ali said the duo was arrested following their participation in the funeral of Professor Bhat at Chunduna village.
“He (Lone) had a friendship with father of Bhat. He had gone there to offer jinaza(funeral). Lone saeb had tried to discipline the crowd after some vested interests, probably from BJP tried to get on stage, when Bhat’s mother and sister were having his last glimpse. This is his (Lone’s) fault. The other Shah has only participated in the funeral. This is all they have done,” said Ali.
Bhat, prior to joining militant ranks, was a professor at Kashmir University’s Sociology department. He was killed in Shopian’s Badigam village along with four other militants, including Hizb’s top commander Saddam Padder.
A senior police official of Ganderbal said both were involved in delivering “anti national” speeches. “Both have been frequently participating in militant and civilian funerals, where we have information that they delivered hate speeches,” he said.