Eight days after a Special Police Officer (SPO), posted at the residence of PDP MLA from Shopian Aijaz Ahmad Mir, fled with seven AK-47 rifles and joined militants, investigation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police has surprised the legislator. The state police have allegedly seized his books.
“I can understand the police seizing my mobile phones and my laptop. But I am amazed the police has seized my books and a battery charger,” he said.
The books, which police allegedly took away from Mir's Jawahar Nagar residence, include Ahmad Rashid’s 'Taliban: Militant Islam', 'Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia', separatist leader 'Prof Abdul Gani Bhat’s 'Beyond Me, Jihad and Kashmir'. The police also seized separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani’s 'Wular Kinaray' . What has been left behind by the police are autobiography of Adolf Hitler 'Mein Kampf' (My Struggle) and legendry Kashmiri leader Shaikh Mohammad Abdullah's 'Aatish-e-Chinar'.
“I have read Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and also Sheikh Abdullah’s Aatish-e-Chinar.I have read Aatish Chinar many times and it is among one of my favourite books. But I have also read books of Ahmad Rashid and others. I am surprised how can a book by Ahmad Rashid qualify for a seizure while 'Mein Kampf' doesn’t,” said the MLA.
Mir, who is a law graduate from the University of Kashmir, argues that people read books which are available in the market. He says books written by separatist political leaders are in the market and like other people who are into reading, he also bought them to read and understand their (separatists) view of Kashmir.
“Since when it has become a crime to possess a book,” he asked.
At least seven Personal Security Officers who were posted with Mir are under police detention after SPO Adil Bashir fled with the rifles. Bashir also fled away with one personal pistol of the MLA from the legislator’s official residence last Friday. Later pictures of Bashi carrying an AK-47 with Hizbul Mujahideen militants appeared on social media. The police have recorded Mir’s statement.
Mir alleged that the police also provoked his former PSOs who are under detention to speak against him. The police have constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the case. Mir said he was not in the Valley when the incident took place.
