Srinagar, May 7
Students of a madrassa staged a march here today to protest against the police’s alleged failure to act against those involved in a sex racket while a little-known militant group warned cable TV operators not to air programmes in the Kashmir Valley.
As many as 200 boys and girls affiliated to the Dargah-e-Taileen-ul-Quran Pather Masjid took to the streets at Mahrajgunj in downtown Srinagar and took out a procession, demanding an end to “vulgarity, waywardness and immoral activities”, officials said.
Led by their teacher Moulvi Riyaz, the students made several rounds of the locality and adjoining areas and asked people to follow Islamic teachings.
The little-known militant outfit Al-Madina Regiment served a 10-day notice to cable TV operators to stop airing programmes or face the consequences.
Holding cable TV responsible for all evils in society, the outfit that carried out several grenade attacks in the city last year alleged that the cable operators were airing obscene programmes.
Over the past two days, Srinagar and other parts of the valley have witnessed massive protests against the sex racket.
An angry mob attacked two houses of the racket’s alleged kingpin as the valley observed a day-long strike on Friday. Militant group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen had set a seven-day
deadline last week for hotels and restaurants to dismantle cabins meant for couples. Several cable operators have been killed and their establishments attacked in the past by militant groups as part of efforts to get them to wind down their business.
The latest threat to cable operators comes at a time when Kashmir is witnessing widespread protests against the police’s alleged failure to identify those involved in the sex racket.
Though the state government transferred the investigation of the scandal to the CBI last week, the people are agitated by the police’s alleged failure to act against politicians and police officers named by a victim.
The police has so far arrested five persons , including the alleged kingpin of the racket, Sabeena, and two youths who made a 30-second pornographic CD that had brought the scandal to light in March.
The protests started when one of the 43 girls allegedly trapped in the flesh trade claimed she had been forced into prostitution. She also said some politicians, police and paramilitary officers were involved in the racket.
This revelation caused a stir in the valley and the High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter. Cashing in on the feelings of the people, separatist groups have again launched a campaign against cable TV, beauty parlours and other establishments.
Radical women’s organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat has also launched a fresh moral policing campaign and its members raided a house in Bemina locality in Srinagar yesterday, saying it was being used for “immoral purposes”.
— PTI
