In an alleged case of violation of norms, a group of militants, being taken from Kot Bhalwal Central Jail to a court in Kupwara district, were paraded in public by the police on Wednesday, sources said. The incident occurred at the general bus stand in the heart of Jammu city, when a police party accompanying the militants halted at a restaurant in the bus stand area for lunch.Sources said that tension prevailed in the area for some time as the gun-toting policemen created ruckus and shouted at mediapersons capturing the scene from outside the restaurant. The police party had earlier arrived in Jammu from Kupwara to take custody of ten undertrials from Kot Bhalwal Central Jail. The undertrials were to be presented in the court of Sessions Judge, Kupwara, in connection with the hearing of pending cases. After taking the custody of the militants, the police party reached the general bus stand and decided to have lunch at one of the local eateries. Meanwhile, a team of media persons spotted a few hand-cuffed people along with a heavy posse of policemen in the area. After having food together, they moved out, allegedly without paying their bill.Sources point out that in Jammu and Kashmir there have been several cases when militants managed to escape from the police custody by breaking the security cordon while being in public places.However, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Parminder Singh and Superintendent of Police, City, Sanjay Kotwal, refused to comment on the matter. The SSP said: “I have no knowledge of the incident and will find it out.”Later, Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, Kuldeep Khuda told The Indian Express: “The breach of the security is when the undertrials in any way mix up with people or try to interact with people. Just taking food at a public eatery is not a breach. The undertrials are human beings and they have to be given food en route anywhere.”
