Srinagar (J&K): Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday claimed to have arrested 13 persons accused of raising anti-national slogans during Friday prayers at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid. “Yesterday afternoon, there were Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid wherein a huge number of gathering took place, around 24,000 persons attended the Friday prayers, which is among largest in recent history,” police said in a statement.
The statement further reads: "After the culmination of the prayers, about a dozen persons started anti-national and provocative sloganeering for while, this was joined by a couple of others as well, while most of the gathering remained aloof. There was also an altercation between the persons indulging in sloganeering and the volunteers of Intezamia committee of Jamia Masjid who tried to stop such sloganeering and hooliganism."
They informed that the hooligans, after being forced to leave the mosque by volunteers, tried to provoke the crowd by sloganeering, and within the next two to three minutes they fled the spot after seeing police personnel around. Two main instigators of the act, the statement said, were identified as Basharat Nabi Bhat and Manzoor Sheikh, both residents of Nowhatta.
Also read: LeT commander killed in Anantnag encounter in J&K
"Both were apprehended and formally arrested in the case. Eleven (11) more accused were subsequently arrested in this case who were involved in the sloganeering and hooliganism inside the Jamia Masjid and at the gate," the police said. They further informed that more suspects are being examined and will be arrested as soon as their role is clearly revealed in the issue.
“PSA dossiers of all these accused are being prepared for booking them under PSA act as well, in addition to the existing case. It also came out during initial investigation that the accused in furtherance of a well planned conspiracy had received instructions from Pakistani handlers of militant outfits to disrupt Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid and create law and order situation by provoking the attendees. Thus, section 120B was also invoked in this case," the notice significantly added.
