Umer Maqbool
Srinagar, Apr 14: In a significant development, the Jammu & Kashmir government on Tuesday morning revoked Public Safety Act (PSA) detention orders of 41 persons languishing in different jails of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Details reveal that Home department of J&K Union Territory today revoked detention orders of 41 persons lodged in central jail, Agra(UP),central jail, Naini Pragyaraj(UP), district jail Ambedkar Nagar(UP),district jail, Karnal (Haryana), district jail Bareilly(UP), central jail, Varansi(UP) and district jail, Jhajjar( Haryana).
Of these detainees, 15 are from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, eight from Pulwama, seven from Anantnag, three from Kupwara district, two each from Bandipora, Budgam, Ganderbal and one each from Kulgam and Srinagar. The detainees have been released at a time when there is a nationwide shutdown announced by the Centre to control spread of deadly coronavirus.
As per mechanism worked out by the government, the revocation orders of all detainees have been sent to Home departments and director generals of police of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi for issuing directions to police to enable their transit in respective jurisdictions.
The concerned deputy commissioners in Kashmir have been directed to issue necessary passes to family members of detainees along with vehicle passes for to and fro movement to prisons in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
With this development, the number of detention orders revoked by the government after outbreak of deadly COVID-19 has reached 140.
After abrogation of Article 370 by BJP-led government, the government detained 5000 persons in Jammu & Kashmir including three former Chief Ministers and top mainstream leaders.
Of them, many were shifted outside J&K and lodged in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana jails. According to a report submitted by DGP Prisons in High Court on April 08, the detainees are lodged in eight jails of these two states. (KNO)