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Preachers were instigating youth, we’ve proof: ADGP on PSA arrests
In the past few days, J&K police have booked at-least four preachers and clerics among over a dozen persons under PSA
Kashmir’s additional director general of police (ADGP), Vijay Kumar on Sunday defended the booking of religious preachers and clerics across the valley under the Public Safety Act (PSA), claiming they were instigating youth.
Kumar, while speaking to the media on the sidelines of a function, said they are also monitoring others.
“We have a lot of evidence. That is why we have been cautioning them (religious leaders) for the past 4-5 months not to instigate youth or people. But they did not stop, so we booked them under PSA,” Kumar said while stressing that police can also share evidence if need be.
In the past few days, J&K police have booked at-least four preachers and clerics among over a dozen persons under PSA.
The ADGP also said that they had let go of many people after counselling them. “If people don’t understand, we take action such as signing bonds. PSA is the last option,” he said.
He warned members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami to stop doing any such activity. “If anybody was found doing these activities, particularly JeI, action will be taken. There are reports and we have evidence that some members of JeI are stealthily doing the activities,” he said.
He said every member of society has the responsibility to maintain social order. “Law and order is not the responsibility of police only, but of every member of society,” he said.
While seven persons were booked on Saturday, seven were arrested on Friday. All of the arrested persons have been booked under PSA and shifted to Jammu.
These persons belong to different schools of thought or religious groups, including Barelvi, Jamiat ahle Hadees (JaH) or Salafi groups as well as the banned Jamaat-e-Islami group (JeI).
Two among the seven booked on Friday are Abdul Rashid Dawoodi and Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri, preachers who have a large following on social media. Dawoodi, a Barelvi scholar, is head of ‘Tehreek e Soutul Auliya’ based in south Kashmir’s Anantnag while Veeri, who was booked under PSA in 2019 also, is a religious leader of Jamiat ahle Hadees (JaH) in Anantnag. Firebrand speaker Sarjan Barkati was arrested from his Shopian house on Saturday.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of several religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, condemned the booking of clerics under the Public Safety Act (PSA) by the administration on Saturday. “During the last two days, arresting more than half a dozen religious scholars and preachers from Kashmir and booking them under PSA is condemnable,” the MMU said in a statement. It alleged that not only were these actions by the authorities “unjustified” but were causing “severe anger” among the people as well.
