Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday termed arrested and subsequent beating of boys by army in Dharmuna Budgam district as “very very sad” and demanded court martial proceedings against the accused personnel.

“Very very sad what we have to put up with. I will take this up with GOC 15 Core and immediate court Marshall must be put into place,” Farooq Abdullah told a local news agency GNS.

He said that National Conference will “protest the matter”.

Out of the seven arrested boys in Budgam, two namely Fazil Fayaz Malik (14) and Hamidullah Sheikh, were released in a critical condition and both were referred to SMHS Hospital Srinagar for treatment. While Hamidullah Sheikh was shifted to JVC Bemina, Fazil Fayaz, who had a head injury and a contusion in brain, was referred to SKIMS Soura Srinagar, where he was operated upon and is now on ventilator with a double support and is battling for life, lawyers body said in a statement issued here.

Meanwhile, Kashmir High Court Bar Association also strongly condemned arrests and beating of seven boys by the army at Dharmuna Budgam.

Besides, the Bar Association also condemns the thrashing given by the government forces to four women namely Asha Bano, Rafiqa Akhter, Tabassum Bano and Bisma Jan, after entering the house of one Ali Mohammad Rather of Pamposh Colony Pinglish, Tral, due to which all of them sustained grievous injuries and had to be referred to Tral Hospital for specialized treatment, the statement said.

The Bar Association termed both the incidents, “barbaric and inhuman” and demanded that the police should register an FIR in the matter immediately, if not already done, and those who have committed the gruesome act of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, house trespass with use of criminal force against women with intent to outrage their modesty, be arrested, prosecuted and punished under law.

The Bar Association also condoled the demise of Mohammad Yousuf Buch, “a distinguished diplomat and an intellectual of Kashmiri origin”, who passed away in New York on Friday evening after a protracted illness at the age of 97 years. While appreciating his role by dedicating his entire life to Kashmir cause.