PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti has on Monday said that she will write to the Government of India to ensure the release of Arsalan Feroz, a teenager arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 31 December.
NIA in its official statement claimed that Arsalan is a “TRF operative”, however, his family staged a protest terming the charges baseless.
Mehbooba Mufti informed that family members of Arsalan including his father who has recently suffered a minor heart attack came to meet her and vouched for his innocence.
“Arsalan is 19 years old who had earlier been arrested by police on 21 October last year. After spending over 40 days in police detention, he was cleared by police and accordingly released. I don’t know why NIA arrested him, though the family handed over him to the agency. NIA is claiming that he is TRF operative, but the family says otherwise,” Mehbooba said.
Mehbooba said that since police have no jurisdiction over NIA and the probe agency directly falls under the Home Ministry of India, she will write to the Home Minister about it.
“There is no FIR lodged against Arsalan Feroz in past or present. I will write to Home Minister to ensure his release as his family is in trauma,” she said. (KNT)