Srinagar: Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone has termed the ordeal of Kashmir journalist Auqib Javeed inside the cyber police station of Srinagar as “pure savagery”
Taking to his Twitter handle Mr. Lone said that the ordeal of Mr. Javeed who penned down his five hour questioning inside the police station was aimed at humiliation, “This is pure savagery. This is an ordeal aimed at humiliation. And it is a helpless situation. Such savagery is a badge of honour in the current conditions. Won’t b surprised if the officer is rewarded,” he said.
Mr. Javeed who works for the local newspaper Kashmir Observer and freelances for national and international publications alleged that he was beaten and abused by the police officials and his phone tampered inside the police station.
Mr. Javeed who wrote a story titled “The Real Cyber Bully: Police In Kashmir Question Twitter Users” on the disappearing of Twitter users on the “disappearing of Twitter users from the micro-blogging site” has said that he was first slapped by masked policeman in the compound of cyber police station and then later abused by Superintendent of Police, Incharge of the police’s cyber cell Tahir Bhatti for the story.
I heard the sounds of boots approaching, and as I turned to see who it was, a masked policeman slapped me hard on my left cheek. He did sound like a local. “Kis liye aaya hai tu (why have you come?),” he demanded. Once I recovered from the shock of the slap, I said, “SP saab has called me.” He slapped me hard again and left,” The journalist has written for an online news portal Article-14 ( the story had appeared in the same publication).
Adding that the police officer started abusing his mother and sister and kept up the shouting. “Ab mai tujhe dikhavu ga saalay (Now I will teach you a lesson),” Mr. Javeed quoted the officer as saying.
“Bulava city police ko (call the city police),” he told a policeman standing by the door.
“I told SP Bhatii that the story was based on fact, but the picture and headline were not up to me but the editors.”
”No, this is a fake and baseless story,” Mr. Javeed quoted the SP as saying. “Kashmir is burning because of people like you who spread fake narratives.” Adding that the officer told him that he had maligned the image of the cyber police, and “he threatened to book me under various sections of law.”