ISLAMABAD: Indian police arrested at least 1,300 teenagers from various parts of Kashmir during the past month in frequent police-conducted raids.
The raids forced hundreds of youth to go into hiding while people across Kashmir remain awake during nights to foil arrests of youth, reported Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
“Over 400 have been arrested from these districts in the past month,” a senior police official confirmed. Several have also been arrested from North and Central Kashmir districts, he added.
KMS said that most of the arrests have been made in Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts of Southern Kashmir. On Sunday, Inspector General of Police admitted in an official handout that 1,000 youth had been arrested since July 2016. Independent sources however placed the number far higher.
Sources said that investigators of Special Operation Group Police and Central Reserve Police Force were carrying out joint nocturnal raids to arrest the youth for participating in anti-India and pro-freedom protests since July 8.
