House sealed under POTO

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR NOV. 26. The ``controversial'' Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) has been used in Kashmir. On Sunday, police sealed a house in the Safakadal locality of Srinagar and threw the inmates out.

Police said arms and ammunition were recovered from the house of Ghulam Mohammad Dar of Malik Saheb and his house was sealed under POTO. A hideout was found within the inner walls of the house and it was being used by Al-Badr militants.``The house owner has been booked under POTO's Sections 3 and 4, 21 and 22 and the house sealed under Sections 8 and 9'' officials said.

The IGP, Kashmir zone, Mr. K. Rajindra, told The Hindu that the chief of the recently wiped out militant outfit, Al-Badr had been staying in the house for some time. Ten Al-Badr militants had been arrested under POTO. He said that POTO was very much applicable in Jammu and Kashmir since the ordinance had been signed by the President. Under the Sections 8 and 9, police could seal houses containing arms and ammunition.

The Minister of State for Home, Mr. Khalid Najeeb Sohrawardy, said the ordinance was already applicable to the entire country. ``It is only in case Parliament rejects it or makes some amendments, it will cease to apply or there will be changes in it,'' he said.

People took to the streets in Safakadal protesting against the police action. ``This is a draconian law which is yet to be debated but here the poor people have been thrown out on the road,'' said a resident.

The Human Rights Front here has objected to the implementation on POTO in Kashmir and decided to move the court. Its chairman Mohammad Ahsan Untoo has called for an agitation against what he called ``draconian law''.

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