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Man goes ‘missing’ from army custody; escaped, says Kupwara SSP
Kupwara SSP Yougal Kumar Manhas told the media during a press conference on Thursday that Rashid was picked up for questioning, but he slipped away; adds that efforts are on to trace him
A man allegedly picked up by the army for questioning has gone missing in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, triggering protests by his family and relatives.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, however, said he had escaped from the custody of the army, which had taken him for questioning in a ‘terror-related’ investigation.
A defence spokesperson has said that he will comment on the issue after getting details.
The family of Abdul Rashid, a driver by profession who lives at Kunan Poshpora in Trehgam in Kupwara, said he was taken away on December 15. “He was having dinner when the armymen took him away. When I objected, an army commander said they have some work. We called the sarpanch and then let the army take Rashid away,” his mother said. The family had held a demonstration in Srinagar on Wednesday.
She said they had gone to the army camp the next morning and were told that some investigation was going on. “We went again in the evening, but they said he had escaped,” she added.
The public relations officer of the army based in Srinagar, Col Emron Musavi, said, “Let me find out.”
Trehgam station house officer Nazir Ahmad said there was no breakthrough in the case so far. “We are working on it. The family is saying that he was taken away by the army. We have yet to get a version of the army,” he added.
Kupwara senior superintendent of police (SSP) Yougal Kumar Manhas, meanwhile, told the media during a press conference on Thursday that Rashid was picked up for questioning related to terrorism.
“During preliminary inquiry, it came to the fore that he had disclosed the location of a hideout and when the army took him there, he escaped. We are continuing our searches to trace him and are working on some clues,” he added.
He said they were working to find out under what circumstances he slipped away. “We want to assure his family that we will go to any extent to find out how he escaped...,” the SSP said.
People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has also sought the intervention of commander of Army’s 15 Corps.“A youngster detained by Army on 13th December has allegedly escaped from their custody & is now missing. Worrying that a civilian goes missing in Army custody. Request the Core (sic) Commander to kindly intervene,” she tweeted.
