Jammu: Expressing serious concerns over the alleged use of pepper gas by police against protesters in the Valley, the state unit of CPI (M) on Monday said authorities maintaining law and order should do away with such practise.
Referring to media reports which claimed that exposure of pepper gas had led to the death of an asthma patient and termination of pregnancy of another woman recently, CPI-M`s State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami strongly condemned the incidents and demanded stern action against the guilty.
"This practise needs to be done away with, sooner the better. These measures are not acceptable in a civilised society where protests and dissent are seen as an inseparable part of democracy," he observed.
Condemning the mass arrests of political leaders and the youth during protests across the Valley, the CPI (M) leader demanded their immediate release.
"Hundreds of youths have been framed in false cases and currently a fresh wave of arrests has been started," he said.
"These methods of crowd control had resulted in mental trauma of youth which has affected them seriously," Tarigami added.
PTI
