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6 Up ‘Thieves’ Hide Behind Valley Stone Pelting To Save Their Hide


Date:- 23 Jun 2018


Six youths from Uttar Pradesh, who had gone to Jammu & Kashmir to eke out a living and claimed that they were made to pelt stones at the security forces, might have cooked up the entire story to evade arrest for stealing.

These youths — three each from Baghpat and Saharnpur districts — were working in Kashmir’s Pulwama as tailors and were getting Rs 20,000 a month each when they were pushed to unskilled works such as mopping and washing vehicles.

“During encounter with terrorists, the locals used to ask us to pelt stones at the security forces. As we were taking shelter in houses of locals we obeyed their orders,” the youths told the police.

But Director General of Police OP Singh told a TV channel that “Since the incident received wide media coverage, we decided to investigate the matter immediately. It was then that we found the six youths had concocted the story to avoid arrest.”

“During our investigation, it was found that the owner of the tailoring factory contacted them and accused them of stealing clothes. Realising that they could be caught soon, the youth decided to cook up a story to avoid arrest,” Singh added.

He further said that thereafter the youth went around telling people that they had gone to Kashmir to work, but were forced to pelt stones near an Army camp.

“The fact is, no such incident ever took place. In fact, they are the ones who had stolen clothes from the factory. We are convinced that their story is fake, and hence, we have decided not to investigate the matter further,” the DGP said, adding that the youth have not been arrested for theft as there is no formal complaint.

However, Superintendent of Police, Baghpat, Jai Prakash said one of the youth identified as Nasim told police that he and some others were kept at a factory in Pulwama. “On one occasion, the labourers there took part in stone pelting. He was also asked to throw stones but he refused and escaped from the place,” he said.

Prakash said that the youth were changing their statements frequently. “Hence, we are corroborating the information. The police are on the lookout for the contractor who took these youths to Kashmir,” he said.

The families of the detained youths told the police that their children had gone to Kashmir for a contractual job at a stitching factory but they returned, complaining of being coerced into stone-pelting.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Saturday, 23 June 2018 | PNS | Lucknow