Six youths hailing from Baghpat and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh has complained to the police that they were made to pelt stones on security forces, PTI has reported.
As per a quote by UP’s Director General of Police – OP Singh, the youths who had travelled to Pulwama in Kashmir were earning about Rs 20,000 while working as tailors, but while doing so were told to participate in stone pelting. Fed up by this, the reportedly returned back home.
An India Today report has claimed that two of the said youths named Naseem and Ankit Kumar approached the Baghpat police on Tuesday. As per Naseem, they used to seek shelter in the house of locals whenever an encounter used to take place between security forces and the terrorists. Naseem further claims that during the encounter locals used to pelt stones on the security forces.
Naseem also told the police that they used to be asked by their local colleagues to also indulge in stone pelting and would be threatened after they refused. As per the other youth Anikt, they became very scared and even paid Rs 10,000 to a local to sneak them out of the region. The youths have also alleged that they continue to receive threatening calls from Kashmir.
An IANS report has claimed that three youths have been detained regarding the matter in Saharanpur and are now being questioned by the police. It quotes the police as suspecting that a contractor who promised them jobs at a stitching factory, coerced them into pelting stones. The police are hunting for the contractor.
As a result of this development, reports have claimed that a local intelligence unit has been constituted to probe the matter by questioning the youths and their families. As per the DGP – OP Singh, the matter will be probed discretely.
