By BASHARAT RASHID
The families of seven Kashmiri youth imprisoned since October 2018 at the Kapurthala Central Jail in Jalandhar, Punjab staged a protest demonstration in the Dadasara block of Tral in south Kashmir on Monday, demanding their immediate release.
The protesting family members of the jailed youth assembled at the Eidgah Dadasara and said their wards are students and were studying in Chandigarh and elsewhere in Punjab.
They called their arrest an injustice, and alleged they were being mistreated by the jail authorities.
Laali, mother of one of the imprisoned youth, told mediapersons that her son and other jailed students are innocent, and are being made to face hardships in jail.
According to reports the seven youth were arrested near Mohali and charged “in connection with” a bomb blast at the Maqsudan police station in Jalandhar in September 2018.
Besides men and women, the protest was attended by children as well, holding placards seeking justice for the jailed students.
Mohammad Rafiq Bhat, a parent, said his son was taken from Jalandhar College, and remains in jail for the last two years, where he is facing difficulties along with six other mates. Bhat said they are innocent and should get justice.
He said their families had not been given the chance to meet them since March 3, 2020, leaving them dismayed.
The families gathered in protest sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh into the matter, and demanded their immediate release.
This story first appeared on thecitizen.in