August 18
Public Safety Act, PSA as it is often referred to in Kashmir, is a preventive detention law that allows for the jailing of individuals through executive fiat by administrative officials, rather than by judges following a judicial process or trial.
Earlier this year a report published in a Srinagar Daily revealed that at least 700 people have been booked under Public Safety Act since 2016, many of them still languishing in Jail.
The kin of around one dozen political prisoners have demanded the release of their inmates ahead of EID UL AZHA.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat They demand that political prisoners on humanitarian ground must be released from jails soon so that they are also able to celebrate Eid with their families.
Shakeel Ahmad Itoo, of Manihal village of Shopian who was arrested about one month before the killing of Hizb Commander Burhan Muzafar wani, despite his PSA detention quashed by court on 2nd February this year.
Shakeel as per his family was arrested one month before the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on Juky 08, 2016.
Soon after his arrest, he was shifted to Kathua and at present he is at Central jail Srinagar, they told The Kashmiriyat.
He has been booked on “fabricated” cases and despite the detention order quashed by the court he was not being released, said Nigeena Banoo wife of Shakeel Ahmad.
Since 2008, he had spent almost seven years in jails and was not part of he 2016 uprising as he was arrested one month before that, she said.
“Since 2008, there were around 15 cases in different police stations against Shakeel and under these cases he several times was booked under notorious Public safety act,” she said.
Forces were regularly harassing our family and even brother of shakeel namely sartaj was kept lodged under PSA and was released after nine months, she said.
Masoor shakeel son of Shakeel who is 3rd primary student in local private school is often asking for his father and even something in dead of night he starts weeping for his father and it becomes very hard to console him at that time, she said.
Everyday after coming from school he asks about his father, when he will be released, why he has been kept in custody, masroor asks, she said.
Shakeel has two wives, two sons and one daughter.
According to the 2010 Amnesty report ‘A Lawless Law: Detentions under the Public Safety Act‘, at least 10,000-20,000 people have been detained under this preventive detention law since it was enacted in the 1970s.
In 2016 alone, some 600 detention orders have been issued. According to a lawyer, this number includes those who have gone underground and evaded arrest.
Nazir Ahmad Mantoo son of Gh Hassan Mantoo resident of Kanihama shopian is also languishing in jail from May 2016.
His son Basit Ahmad who is a 12th class student told The Kashmiriyat that our father continues to remain in illegal detention despite his PSA was quashed before 6 months.
Without him we hardly meet the needs of our family on income of a small orchard, he said.
We have to take care of my mother, 2 younger brothers and a sister and we request authorities to release him on eve of Eid.
Mohamad Amin Ahanger son of Gh Hassan Ahanger resident of Sangdan Shopian affiliated with Geelani Lead Hurriyat is also languishing in jail from April 2017.
Ruby Jan wife of Ahanger said that he was arrested for remaining active in 2016 Agitation and soon after arresting him he was slapped with PSA.
Before 8 months PSA was quashed however he continues to remain central jail Srinagar without any reason, she said.
We haven’t slept well since his arrest as we are separate and my children are very little as the elder one Yamin is 5th class student, middle one Mariya Amin is Ist class student and Arham Amin is 3 years old, she told The Kashmiriyat.
We are hardly meeting our demands on a small income of our orchards and we request authorities to release him ahead of Eid.
Mohamad Hussian Wagay son of Gh Mohamad Wagay resident of Homehuna Nagbal shopian also affiliated with Hurriyat was arrested on 3 July 2017.
He was also arrested on charges of playing part in 2016 Agitation and is presently lodged at Central jail Srinagar, his father said.
His family which consists of his wife, 3 brothers and 3 sisters (all unmarried) besides parents requested concerned authorities to release him ahead of Eid.
The recent and first ever UN report on Human Rights Situation on Kashmir said that India has failed in creating a standard operating procedure under the PSA to guide officers who issue a detention order. The officers rely solely on dossiers prepared by police “who don’t verify facts”, the report said, calling for an independent, international investigation into human rights abuses in Kashmir.
The families of the popular Sarjan Barkati of Reban, Mohammed Yusuf Falahi from Mollu District president of Geelani’s Hurriyat, Javaid Ahmad from Ganopora Shopian, Nisar Ahmad from Shirmal Shopian, Muhammad Lateef from Darpora Zawoora Shopian have also requested the concerned authorities to release them ahead of Eid.
Other than the PSA Detainees, the families of many youth in Quimoh Kulgam have pleaded the authorities to release their kith and kin on the occasion of Eid ul Adha.