No grounds to detain ‘Shri’ Masrat Alam: J&K government to Union Home Ministry

NEW DELHI: “Shri Masrat Alam” was “instrumental” in provoking Kashmiri youth into street protests and stone pelting in a “big way” in 2010 but there was no fresh reason to detain him, the J&K government has said in a report to the Union Home Ministry.

The report specified that Alam has been bailed out in all cases against him — there are 27 FIRs against him as on date. Alam was detained under the Public Safety Act “intermittently” since February 4, 2010, and there are “no fresh grounds” for his continued detention, therefore, he has been released. “As per Section 18(1) (b) of PSA Act, a person whose activities are prejudicial to the security of the state can be detained for six months in the first instance which can be extended up to two years. Further, the honourable high court has laid down that a person cannot be detained twice under the same grounds. For fresh detention, there needs to be fresh grounds, Shri Masrat Alam has been detained 8 times since 2010 and there are no fresh grounds for booking.”