The Family members and relatives of allegedly arrested TRF militant Zahoor Ahmad Rather on Monday staged a strong protest at Press Enclave, Srinagar claiming the innocence of their son as he was arrested by Jammu police in tandem with Anantnag police on Saturday and later they claimed that they have arrested top TRF militant involved in the killing of three BJP workers last year.
They family members of the deceased added that he has nothing to do with militancy as he has already surrendered in 2006 and after that he lived a normal life with his family.
Meena Zahoor his sister while talking to said that Zahoor was selling dry fruits like walnuts to sustain the family comprising his wife and two minor children.
She added that Zahoor was taken away from the rented accommodation as he was living there along with wife and two small children of February 13 and no whereabouts about him have been since then. She also said that due to dry fruit business he was staying there
The family members appealed the government that they should be provided the whereabouts of Zahoor as it is their legal right to know about the details of their son as why was he arrested? They also added that Zahoor has quitted the militancy during the year 2006 as he had surrendered before government forces.
While repeatedly claiming his innocence, they mentioned that he is suffering from various ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes and had an eye surgery also.
On the other hand, Jammu Police on Saturday claimed that they had arrested a militant affiliated with The Resistance Force (TRF) in the Bari Brahmana area of Samba in Jammu division.
“The militant was arrested during a joint operation by forces and Anantnag police last night, identified as Zahoor Ahmed Rather, a resident of Dooru, Anantnag” SSP Samba Rajesh Sharma had said.
While on the same day, Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar had claimed that a team of Police from Anantnag arrested the militant, Zahoor Ahmad Rather alias Sahil alias Khalid of TRF from Samba on the intervening night of February 12 and 13. He said that Zahoor Ahmad Rather was hiding in Samba and was arrested following specific information by Anantnag police.
He also had claimed that the arrested militant was involved in the killing of three BJP workers in Kulgam last year and one policeman at Furra in the South Kashmir district.
It is pertinent to mention that the three Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries, Fida Hussain Yatoo, Umer Rashid Beigh and Umer Ramzan Hajam, were killed in YK Pora locality of Kulgam on October 29 last year.