Sehrai’s sons arrested in Kashmir, police say not booked under PSA

Srinagar, May 16;Two sons of former Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) chairman Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, who died in a Jammu hospital earlier this month due to COVID-19, have been arrested for allegedly raising ‘pro-freedom’ slogans.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz have condemned the arrest.
Official sources said that Sehrai’s sons – Mujahid Sehrai and Rashid Sehrai – were arrested from their residence late Saturday evening at Barzulla in Srinagar and taken to north Kashmir district of Kupwara.
A police spokesperson said that both sons of late Sehrai and four others have been arrested for raising ‘anti-national’ slogans during funeral of the former Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) chairman in Kupwara on May 6.
Asking Ms Mehbooba not to spread rumours, police said that they (Sehrai’s sons) have not been booked under PSA. “Both sons of Late Sehrai & 4 others have been #arrested for raising #antinational slogans during funeral. But, they haven’t been booked under PSA. Plz don’t spread #rumour. @JmuKmrPolice,” Kashmir Zone Police wrote on its officer twitter handle.
Earlier, Ms Mehbooba alleged that Ashraf Sehrai’s sons were arrested under PSA. “PSA is GOI’s go to method for every problem. Latest example being Ashraf Sehrai’s sons who lost their father in custody due to inadequate medical care & have been arrested under PSA. In rest of India dead are being ill treated but in Kashmir its the living who are made to suffer,” Ms Mehbooba had tweeted.
Meanwhile, Prof Soz said that it is unfortunate that late Ashraf Sehrai’s two sons have been arrested by the police in connection with their involvement in ‘pro-freedom’ and provocative slogans that had been raised in the funeral procession of senior separatist leader on May 6 at Tekkipora Sogam in Kupwara.
“Some people are adamant to see Sehrai’s sons punished for the ideas of their father. This is an obnoxious trait in the character of those who want to fight Sehrai’s family after his demise. I reject this attitude with contempt,” he said in a statement issued here on Sunday.
“The civilized world recently got an enjoyable advice from, now famous Holocaust Survivor Eddie Jaku, who rejected hate as a trait of human character. Eddie Jaku has rightly advised the world that, ‘Hate is a disease which not only destroys your enemy but you also’,” he added.
Sehrai was arrested and booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) in July last year and later lodged in Udhampur Jail. The separatist leader, who was suffering multi-ailments, was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu on May 4 evening after his condition deteriorated. However, the senior separatist leader, a close confidant of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, died on May 5. He had tested positive for COVID-19.