CPI (M) senior leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami Wednesday said that the “rampant and arbitrary use” of laws like Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu and Kashmir was “atrocious and undemocratic” and “violates civil liberties” of the people.
A statement of CPI (M) issued here quoted Tarigami as saying that the people, especially youth, were being “indiscriminately” booked under the UAPA and PSA which had sent shock waves among the people across the region.
He said that there were also reports that people booked under UAPA were being shifted to outside Kashmir jails which was a huge worry.
“In bone chilling cold, they were kept in jails in Kashmir and now as harsh summer is about to begin outside Kashmir, they are being shifted to jails in other states,” Tarigami said. “Also hundreds of people, who are already languishing in jails outside Kashmir are facing tremendous hardships as their relatives are unable to meet them.”
He said that these people do not have enough resources to visit their kin in jails outside Kashmir.
“On one side, the administration claims normalcy while on the other arrest spree continues unabated and those already in jails are reportedly being shifted to outside jails,” Tarigami said. “In some cases, even after courts quashed the PSA, detainees remain in prisons as Police books them under UAPA.” He said that the right to personal liberty provided in the constitution had been “trampled” upon.
“The UAPA is a monstrous law which makes getting bail extremely difficult. The misuse of the UAPA and PSA needs immediate review and the cases of those who have been detained under these draconian laws need to be examined,” Tarigami said. “The arrests without any solid legal grounds do not augur well for J&K. It has been done before as well in J&K, but it has never yielded anything.”