National Conference says its leaders prevented from visiting Handwara

Srinagar: A delegation of opposition National Conference (NC) leaders was today prevented from going to Handwara in Kashmir's Kupwara district where four persons have been killed in action by security forces since Tuesday, a party leader said.

"We tried to visit Handwara today to meet the families of those killed in firing and to assess the situation there but we were detained by the police and not allowed to go there," NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar told reporters here.

He said the party had constituted a team of senior leaders, including NC provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani and Mohammad Akbar Lone, to visit Handwara yesterday but they were told by police to proceed on Friday morning.

"We spoke to IGP Kashmir who told us to visit on Friday but as we reached near Sangrama this morning, we were stopped by the police present there and detained at a police station for about half-an-hour.

"Then we were told that we can go to Handwara via Sopore but near Wagoora, we were stopped again and taken to Dak Bungalow Sopore from where we were asked to return to Srinagar as the situation was bad there," he said.

Sagar said the government should have allowed the opposition leaders to visit Handwara.

When such incidents happened during NC's rule, visits of opposition parties used to be facilitated, he said, adding that everyone should be allowed there under democracy.

He alleged that no minister had visited the families of the four persons killed in the firing.

"We talked to the families and they said no minister had visited them. The government's claim is completely wrong and misleading. I think the government wants to hide something and that is why it did not allow us," he said, adding that it was a breach of privilege.