‘Rapists get parole, Kashmiri prisoners languish in jails’: Mehbooba Mufti

Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday alleged that while remission and parole were being extended to those accused of heinous crimes such as rape and other criminal activities, Kashmiri political prisoners continue to languish in jails across the country.

Mehbooba led a protest march in Srinagar and later addressed a press conference demanding the release of political prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir who continue to remain incarcerated in different jails across India. The protest march was intercepted by the police, PDP activists said.

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“They have given many remissions for criminals, rapists, goons and paroles are granted to them, but you haven’t permitted this for the people of J&K”, she said.

Mehbooba highlighted the plight of several senior leaders, including Shabir Shah and Amir Jamat, who remain behind bars, adding that many other detainees are suffering from chronic ailments while their families struggle for survival.

Demanding the release of the prisoners jailed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA), Mehbooba said, “We wanted to hold a protest today for the innocent people jailed in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere, especially those whose parents are not capable enough of fighting their cases. If the innocent cannot be released, they should at least be shifted to jails in Jammu and Kashmir as their poor parents were not in a position to travel to other states and contest their cases”.

Quoting figures, she said since 2019, over 5,000 preventive arrests were made. Hundreds have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), with 1,122 shifted to prisons outside J&K. Local prisoners deserve lodgement in J&K, speedy trials and ‘Bail not Jail’ as the norm. Parole, remission and medical bail must be the right, not a favour. “I demand full jail manual implementation to restore dignity and end this cruel injustice”, she said.

She said that her party had earlier moved a resolution in the Assembly seeking transfer of Kashmiri prisoners back to local jails, but the move was not entertained. She urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take the lead in pushing for their return.

She urged Omar Abdullah to constitute an all-party delegation to visit the outside jails or, if that is not possible, at least send two or three ministers to assess the situation. The CM should meet Home Minister Amit Shah and request him to shift the Kashmiri prisoners back to J&K.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of another event, replying to questions from reporters on Mehbooba’s demand for shifting Kashmiri prisoners, CM Omar Abdullah said, “All of us are concerned about it. But protesting in Srinagar is not going to help. The decisions regarding security are taken in Delhi by the Home Ministry. She should go to Delhi, meet the Home Minister, and present her points in front of him, as we did. But if she wants to protest here for the show, she can. No one has an objection to it”.