State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Thursday issued a notice to civil and Police administration in connection shifting of a preacher and Jamiat-Al-Hadees Vice President Moulvi Mushtaq Veeri under Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu jail.
Veeri was arrested on February 23 from his residence after a crackdown on separatist leaders and Jamaat-e-Islami. He was lodged in Bijbehara police station and was later shifted to district jail in Mattan of Anantnag district. Later, on March 15, he was booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) and shifted to Jammu Jail.
Member of the Commission Dilshada Shaheen directed the Commissioner Secretary Home department and Director General of Police (DGP) to file their response in four weeks with regard to the case.
The directions came in the backdrop of a petition filed by Chairman of International Forum of Justice (IFJ) Ahsan Untoo.
The petitioner informed the Commission that some days back Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri was arrested by the concerned police station and was lodged at the local police station for a number of days which hurt the sentiments of people in general and lodged their strong protest against these raids.
“Veeri is a religious scholar and was not committed any kind of offence what so ever and by arresting a religious scholar is interference of religion and also violated the fundamental of the Indian constitution. The detention order violated the freedom of speech which is guaranteed under the constitution to every citizen,” reads the petition filed before SHRC.
The petitioner also said that it is an international as well as law of land that whenever any person is detained under any preventive detention, he/she shall be kept in a jail which is near to his/her house.
In a complaint, it was also stated that “Despite Supreme Court guidelines the respondents violated all the laws and shift the detenue from Srinagar to Jammu.”
“It is commonly observed by the conscious people that quite long time state is adopted a policy whenever any person raises question on the wrong policies of the state, state actors immediately arrested him and suppress the voice, so that no one will be allowed to raise any question against the state wrong policies, which is against the basic principles of the democracy,” reads a petition.
