Total 7 NC, PDP leaders booked
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Feb 10: Authorities today slapped Public Safety Act (PSA) against Hilal Lone, the son of National Conference Member Parliament, Mohammad Akbar Lone, while two leaders of National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party were released today after over six months of detention.
Hilal Lone, former Additional Advocate General, was under preventive detention since August 5 last year when the Centre announced the abrogation of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State’s special status besides its bifurcation into Union Territories.
This morning, Lone was served with a dossier informing him that he had been booked under the PSA as the Union Territory administration felt that his release could hamper the law and order situation in North Kashmir. He was shifted to M-5 Gupkar, Srinagar where three other politicians – Ali Mohammad Sagar, Naeem Akhtar and Sartaj Madni are lodged.
The administration besides slapping PSA against former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, invoked the Act against NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar and PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Naeem Akhtar since February 5.
With the booking of Lone under PSA, so far seven NC and PDP leaders have been charged under the Act. The first to be booked under PSA was former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah. He is, however, lodged in his own house at Gupkar, Srinagar. So far over 400 people have been booked under the PSA in Kashmir since August 5. However, around two dozen of them were released but 395 are still under detention.
All these politicians were detained in August ahead of abrogation of Article 370 of Indian Constitution and bifurcation of State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Scores of politicians were detained in August and some of them were released in phased manner while six of them were booked under PSA.
Authorities, in the meantime, released two politicians including NC leader and former MLA, Irfan Shah and PDP leader, Khursheed Alam from MLA Hostel sub-Jail. However, they were placed under house arrest at their residences soon after their release this afternoon.
Thirty five mainstream politicians were moved from the Centaur hotel on the banks of the Dal lake to the MLA hostel in November 2019 and most of them have been released now or booked under PSA. Now, only four politicians are in the sub-jail including Shah Faisal, Ali Mohammad Dar, Peer Mansoor and Bilal Sultan.
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