Since the abrogation of Article 370, around 4000 people have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir. According to a report in the Times of India, 3100 people out of the 4000 detained since August 5th have now been released. The 3100 releases have been made either in hours or days of their original detention. The Police has said that while most people were detained under Section 107 of CrPc, around 200-250 people were detained under PSA (Public Safety Act).
According to the report, DGP of Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh has said that since the abrogation, several people who were threatening locals have been arrested. The police have been working tirelessly to counter terror in forms of threats issued orally, by posters or even physical violence stopping people from resuming their normal lives.
DGP Singh said that the Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested over 30 people recently who were threatening people and forcing them not to open their shops or market place for business, thereby disrupting peace in the valley.
In a conversation with the Times of India, DGP Singh said, “J&K police is watching activities of those terrorising locals from resuming normal lives, identifying the perpetrators and moving swiftly to arrest them. Around 30 arrests have been made from places like Srinagar, Ganderbal, Sopore, Shopian, Pulwama. We are taking strong legal action against these scare-mongers, including under PSA”.
Further, Singh said, “There is now a 100% relaxation in curbs (barring the mobile/internet shutdown) in the Valley. The situation is absolutely normal barring in a few sensitive areas including part of Srinagar downtown. For instance, there were zero incidents of violence recorded on Thursday. Even on a normal day in the Valley (prior to abrogation of J&K’s special status), there was never a day without some incident or the other. In 2016, during the protests against the killing of Burhan Wani, scores of violent incidents were recorded in a single day”.
Confirming to TOI, DGP said that while most politicians have been detained under Section 107 of CrPc, NC patriarch Farooq Abdullah has been detained under PSA. He said that he has not been detained under PSA for his actions but his statements that threaten to disrupt peace in the valley.
He also said that most stone pelters and troublemakers arrested under CrPc were subsequently released with bond and the active involvement of their community. In most of the cases where the detainees were released, no repeat-offenders have been reported so far.
