Srinagar: The residents of Rajouri Kadal in Downtown Srinagar Thursday held a protest demonstration demanding release of their jailed kin who they alleged were arrested by jammu and Kashmir police and later were handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Scores of residents mostly women assembled at Rajouri Kadal Chowk and blocked the road.

Picture credits: Shah Jehangir

They said that the police arrested nine youth in November last year and handed them over to NIA. The youth belong to different parts of downtown and have been detained on alleged militant links.

Pertinently, the police has rebuffed the reports suggesting the youth were being handed over to the NIA. A police spokesman said: “In this context it is clarified that the instant case FIR No 93/2018 was registered at Police Station Kothi Bagh under the relevant sections of law. This case was subsequently taken over by NIA and all the arrested accused persons in this case are presently in Judicial Custody.”