A VHP man has been pleading the case of his detained Kashmiri friend

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A member of the Amritsar Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which is a Hindu nationalist group, has been pleading the case for his Kashmiri Muslim friend.

In an improbable turn of events, Rakesh Khanna was seen lamenting the lack of humanity and pleading with the guards of the Government Guest House in north Kashmir, imploring to let him in.

Aijaz Ahmed Sofi, his friend and president of the Handwara Market Association, was detained by the security forces following the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution.

Khanna’s friend, who is the son of an ex-MLA, was detained by the security forces on August 9. Like Sofi, several people have been detained since the night of August 4, over links with seditious or separatist activities in the past, to avert any untoward incident in light of the political developments.

Hundreds of separatists, politicians, hardliners, activists, and stone-pelters were detained in a preventive step.

Incidentally, Khanna belonged to an organisation (the Amritsar Market Association) that has been vocal about the need to strike down Article 370 and scrap the restive state’s special status. However, he has been friends with Sofi for almost 29 years and he is like “a family member” now.

He, however, says now that this is not the way he wanted it done, as per a report by The Indian Express. Khanna maintains that the authorities should have tried deliberating on this issue with important personalities from Jammu and Kashmir, apart from mainstream politicians.

He said: “Now they have arrested everyone. Desh ko mazboot zaroor banao, mein iske khilaaf nahin hoon. Par insaaniyat se kaam lena chahiye na. Why put innocent people in jail? Yeh najaayaz hai. Phir phone bhi kaat diye. See how all the markets are shut. People are suffering. Amarnath yatriyon ko bhi wapas bhej diya.”

Khanna landed in Kashmir after Sofi’s wife Rukaiyah somehow managed to seek his help. Sofi’s family has allegedly been trying to meet him for days but are being denied access.

Rukaiyah further said that Sofi had approached the SP himself after learning that the police are looking for him. She recalled he had told her: “I don’t have a gun, I am not underground, then why this drama of raiding the house? I am going to the police station and surrendering myself.”

Pleading for Sofi, Khanna told the guards that his friend is a social worker and is an innocent man. He added that his Muslim friend’s only mistake was that he was part of a dharna held in Srinagar years ago. A video of him raising slogans had resurfaced recently, but Khanna maintains that this should not be a big deal as it is common for people to do that.

The guards at the guest house where the Kashmiri has been detained asked Khanna to return a letter from the Station House Officer of Handwara police station if he wants to visit his friend. They, however, did agree to allow Sofi to come till the gate and meet him for a while.