Senior separatist leader and Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is among the detained leaders who have furnished a bond to the authorities to seek their release.
Top intelligence sources told in Srinagar, “This has happened around a fortnight back. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is among many other detained politicians who have furnished bonds to seek their release.”
According to The Hindu, those who signed the bonds besides Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, include two former legislators of the National Conference, one former legislator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a People’s Conference leader.
The same sources said the undertaking by these politicians has stated that once released from preventive detention, the detainee would not indulge in any activity to create a law and order situation in the Valley.
Other detainees in Kashmir
It must be mentioned that three former Chief Ministers, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, are among nearly 40 mainstream politicians who were taken into preventive detention prior to the abrogation of Article 370 by the Parliament on August 5.
Among these detained politicians, authorities have detained Farooq Abdullah under the harsh Public Safety Act/Safety Act (PSA) that empowers the state to detain a person for a maximum period of two years without any judicial intervention. At present, PSA has been slapped on Farooq Abdullah for a period of three months.
Hotel Turns into Jail
Centaur Hotel in Srinagar is government owned was turned into a subsidiary jail.
At least 36 leaders, including the ex bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal, are lodged there.
Close to 3,000 detentions were made in the moth of August however, subsequently two-thirds were released.
“So, effectively, around 1,000 persons are still detained and that includes troublemakers and habitual pelters of stones who have more than five-six cases registered against them,” The Hindu reported citing another government official.
Detentions under PSA
Detentions under the PSA can only be challenged in the state high court or the Supreme Court.
Interestingly, the PSA invoked against Farooq Abdullah came into force during the chief minister-ship of his father late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1978.
Originally conceived to be used against timber smugglers, PSA has been used with impunity against separatists, terrorists and political rivals by subsequent governments in the state in the last 41 years.
With IANS inputs