Jammu, Feb 4: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly legislator Shameema Firdous on Wednesday raised concerns over the prolonged detention of around 3,500 youths from the Kashmir Valley in jails across India since 2018, urging the state government to seek review of their cases under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
During the ongoing Budget Session, the Habba Kadal MLA as per Kashmir Convener cited individual cases highlighting the hardship faced by detainees and their families. She referred to a youth from Nawab Bazaar who reportedly sold land worth ₹25,000 to secure bail but remains in Tihar Jail, with requests for transfer to Srinagar Central Jail pending.
MLA Shameema also highlighted the case of a student from a financially weak family, arrested while in Class 12. She said the student’s grandfather is blind and his father paralysed, severely limiting the family’s ability to pursue legal remedies.
The legislator noted that many youths were arrested for alleged stone-pelting or sharing social media posts. “If for a child, it is just that he has picked up a stone… or shared a post… He has been arrested for these very things,” she said, adding that these detentions have cost the youths crucial years of education and personal growth.
She further sought clarification on the detention of political figure Mehraj-ud-Din Malik, stressing that “self-respect is the most precious thing. If self-respect is lost, then everything is lost.”
MLA Shameema urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to facilitate a review and possible release of the detainees.
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