Mehbooba Mufti writes to Amit Shah on arrest of youth on terror charges

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti asked Amit Shah to intervene in the case of a 19-year-old youth arrested on charges of radicalising and motivating youths to join terror ranks.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the case of a 19-year-old youth arrested by the NIA on charges of radicalising and motivating youths to join terror ranks.

The former chief minister said the arrest of Arsalan Feroz by the NIA was odd as the teenager was earlier released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police after "they could not find anything adverse against him" while he was in custody for 40 days.

"In your last trip to Kashmir you spoke emphatically about engaging with the youth here. Despite our political differences, I am sure we can agree that such incidents will only alienate our young generation further and leave them with permanent scars and a sense of despondency for a long time. I request you to personally intervene in this case and ensure that justice is served," Mehbooba Mudti said in a letter to Shah.

According to NIA, the PDP leader said, Arsalan who recently could not take his twelfth class exams owing to his detention has been accused of being a TRF operative indulging in radicalisation and motivating youth to join the ranks of militant organisations.

The PDP president said she met Arsalan's family including his father who suffered a stroke because of the "dire situation his son is in".

Arsalan comes from a modest background and his family is struggling to make ends meet, she said urging Shah to look into the matter.