Srinagar : It has been over 15 months since a South Kashmir preacher was picked up from his residence shortly before the abrogation of article-370 and shifted to outside Agra Jail.
His wife and daughter have been moving from pillar to post to get him released, a local news gathering agency Kashmir News Trust (KNT) reported.
Ashiq Ahmed Rather alias Ashiq Salfi was leading prayers at a local mosque in Wuyen Pampore. A day before the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi autonomy , he was asked to report at police station.
Salfi, who is the resident of Kunjipora Pulwama reported at police station but never returned back. “He was detained and after a couple of days booked under Public Safety Act, shifted to Indian State Uttar Pradesh’s Agra Jail,” his wife Ghazala told KNT.
“Since 4 August, 2019, I have met him once after the intervention of the court. Due to situation post abrogation and outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, his case doesn’t get listed for hearing in the court of law. I have one little daughter. He was the sole bread earner and I don’t have much means to get him out from the jail,” Ghazala said.
“His only fault is that he was giving religious sermons in the mosque. I request authorities and those at the helm of affairs to release my husband on humanitarian grounds. I don’t know how he is doing? and we can’t afford a meeting with him at Agra Jail,” she told KNT.
