Srinagar: Rumors about death of Maqbool Bhats brother sparked off protests in his native village of Trehgam in northern district of Kupwara on Wednesday afternoon.
Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, brother of slain Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Maqbool Bhat, has been detained under fresh Public Safety Acta by the orders of district magistrate Kupwara and has been shifted from sub-jail Kupwara to sub-jail Baramulla, police said.
Witnesses and locals of Kupwara told GNS that as the death rumors of Zahoor started making rounds in Trehgam, groups of youth came out on streets and staged protests. They also tried to enforce the shutdown prompting some of the shopkeepers to down their shutters, a witness said, adding, the death rumour created panic across the Kupwara with people seeking information about the matter from each other.
However, police immediately issued a statement and strongly rejected the death rumours.
The statement issued by police in Kupwara said that Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, son of Ghulam Qadir Bhat, resident of Trehgam has been detained under PSA in Baramulla jail.
In pursuant to order of District Magistrate Kupwara that one Zahoor Ahmad Bhat was sent to Sub-Jail Baramulla for detention under PSA vide Govt. order No. 01/DMK/PSA of 2015 dated 28/04/2015, the statement read.
The statement, while strongly rejecting the rumors, said: Some anti national/social elements spread rumors that said Zahoor Ahmad Bhat has been killed, which is false and is safe in Sub-Jail Baramulla, adding, people are requested not to pay heed to the rumors of miscreants.
The Deputy Inspector General North Kashmir, Gareeb Das, told GNS that Zahoor is safe and the rumors about his death in police custody are baseless.
He said Zahoor was earlier in preventive custody of police at Kupwara jail and now has been shifted to Baramulla jail. He has been booked under PSA, he added.
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