Patiala House court in Delhi turns fortress for Yasin Malik hearing

NEW DELHI: Patiala House court here was turned into a fortress on Wednesday when Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik was produced in a terror-funding case.
In the morning, hundreds of security forces along with CAPF companies were deployed at the gates of the court. The spotlight was on gate number one. A bomb disposal squad along with a sniffer dog inspected every corner of the court premises.
PCR vehicles arrived at the spot escorting a jail van from which first policemen came out and a few seconds later, wearing a dark blue kurta and a pair of jeans, Malik alighted. The route through which Malik was taken from Tihar jail to the court was highly secured with deployment of cops at strategic locations. DCP-rank officers were present inside the court premises. When the hearing began, common people were not allowed to enter the court premises.
Meanwhile, 35-year-old Sanjay Lakra, a businessman, came to the court with his son and daughter from Burari. The father-daughter duo was waving the national flag, while the little boy was holding Bharat Mata’s portrait. “Malik should get the strictest of punishment,” said Lakra. He also accused Malik of disturbing peace in the Kashmir Valley. Later, the family raised slogans against Pakistan and Malik.
Two brothers from Madhya Pradesh had also come to hear the judgment. “Hope justice will be done,” Yogender Sharma said. His younger brother Ravinder Sharma (26) was busy raising slogans with the Lakra family. They shared sweets among themselves.
Between 7pm and 7.05pm, police personnel along with paramilitary forces came out from the gate which was locked with an iron chain. Two minutes later, a jail van entered the gate and at 7.11pm, traffic on one side of the road was halted. A PCR van left the place, followed by the jail van in which Malik was sitting.
According to sources in Tihar, Malik will be kept in Jail No. 7 in a secured cell where he had been lodged alone earlier. “He was earlier lodged in the same cell and we will continue with the same. Whenever he will come out of his cell, a few jail officials will be moving around with him to ensure no untoward incident takes place,” a source in Tihar jail said.