Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR, Aug 30: Police continues to harass Faizan Ahmed Sofi by following him to school and home, even after the court ordered his release on bail on Tuesday, his family members say.
Although police have denied the allegations, the family says the class 6 boy was “terrorised” after he found a police vehicle stationed outside his school, keeping a watch over him.
“He is so scared. Today, his classmates helped him run away from the school and they managed to give a slip to the policemen posted outside his school. Despite the court orders the police is harassing us,” says the boys father and a cloth vendor, Bashir Ahmad Sofi.
Sofi says he has decided not to send the boy to school for some time.
The little boy was arrested on Sunday for being part of a crowd that, police say, set ablaze their vehicle after Eid prayers ten days ago near Eidgah in old capital Srinagar. He was booked for ‘waging a war and rioting against the state’. The news of his arrest had prompted an active campaign on social media sites like Facebook for his release.
He was granted bail two days ago, after spending more than 24 hours at the juvenile home run by the state’s social welfare department where, his parents say, he was met with harsh treatment “unfit for humans”.
“In jail he was denied food and forced to clean toilets. They also abused him with vulgar words and made him sit in a dark room,” his father says.
He has accused the police of ‘unnecessary harassment’ in letting them “live in peace now”.
“Now they want us to come to the police station, why? My son is restless these days. He hardly talks with confidence. His mother has gone into depression. My health is also failing. I think they should shoot us to finish the headache,” he says in visible frustration.
However, Superintendent of Police(North), Tahir Saleem parried further questions when asked about the allegations.
“Don’t we have anything else to do rather than wasting our time on him,” he said.
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