Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday intensified its crackdown against bikers here and seized hundreds of two-wheelers allegedly without any “reason or rhyme” causing much inconvenience to the city residents.
Eyewitnesses told Kashmir Observer on Tuesday that police and CRPF personnel confiscated hundreds of scooties, bikes and other two wheelers without assigning any reason.
The intense crackdown on bikes, they said continued in the jurisdiction of several police stations in the city including Nehru Park, Dalgate, Foreshore Road, Nishat, Barzulla, Shaheed Gunj, Rajbagh, Rainawari, SK Park, Budshah Bridge, Maulana Azad Road, TRC and Sonwar.
Kashmir Observer received several calls from people complaining that their two-wheelers were confiscated for unspecified reasons.
“I had called an electrician to sort out the electricity issue in our control room of EMS Kashmir where a team is on duty for Critical Care Ambulance Service,” Dr. Syed Riyaz told Kashmir Observer.
“The electrician was stopped at Zaina Kadal. His scooter was confiscated and he was asked to visit the concerned police station after October 26.”
“While crossing through Ram Munshi Bagh, I saw bikers being manhandled without a valid reason,” said an eyewitness. “Even the elders weren’t spared. They were asked to handover keys of their two wheelers and wait outside the station.”
Notably, the frisking of commuters had started on Saturday when = targeted killings of non-local labourers triggered a sense of fear-flight among migrant workers in the valley. The crackdown in the aftermath of targeted killings escalated on Sunday when two more non-local labourers were shot dead in Kulgam district.
Pertinently, the unprecedented crackdown on bikes in the city has not just annoyed bikers but has also hampered the normal functioning of emergency services in the city.
The Chadar, a woman-run online business had to put out an uncanny message on Tuesday for its customers amid the mass seizing of two-wheelers in Srinagar.
“Due to current situation in Kashmir, the bikes of most of the delivery executives are being seized. Kindly expect a delay in delivery,” The Chadar brand said in its social media post.
While top cops are tight-lipped about the drive, a low-rung police official told Kashmir Observer that several of the recent targeted killings in Kashmir were executed using two wheelers and in the aftermath of it, the police have launched a crackdown on all the two wheelers.
“The two wheelers that are not registered on the driver’s name have been confiscated and will be released only after a proper verification of the person driving it,” the officer said.
“Whatever the police doing, is for the safety of our citizen. This crackdown has also dismayed our people but this is all for the security reason. This will continue for a few more days,” he added.
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