Eid violence: cops accused of terrorising 12-year-old boy

A 12-year-old Kashmiri boy accused of waging war against the state is now scared of going to school because police are “terrorising” him, the minor’s family has alleged.

“Police stationed a vehicle outside his school on Thursday,” the Class 6 student’s father, a roadside cloth vendor in Srinagar, said.

“On Wednesday, police had visited our house in Eidgah area when my son was in school and I am being asked to go to the police station,” he added. The police refuted allegations of harassing the boy and his family.

North Srinagar superintendent of police Tahir Saleem said, “We have other work to do. Why should we waste our time?”

A court had released the boy on bail from a juvenile home on Tuesday, two days after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in the torching of a police vehicle on Eid (August 20) in the old city area.

The police have charged the minor with rioting, attempt to murder and waging war against the state.

According to the police, the boy was a part of a mob that set the vehicle on fire and attacked police officials manning the area.

“My son is terrified and restless. He has lost his confidence and talks little. We have decided not to send him to school,” the minor’s father said. “His mother has gone into depression. My health is also failing. I think they should shoot us to finish the headache.”

The minor’s arrest had sparked an online campaign for his release and a petition was mailed to chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Rights activists have criticised the police action against the minor, saying the child belongs in a classroom and not jail.