Public Safety Act in Kashmir draws Amnesty flak

Under the PSA, a much-debated Act promulgated in 1978 and amended twice in 1987 and 1990, a person can be detained from one to two years without trial for maintenance of public order.

Expressing concern over PSA’s operation in the Valley, the AI team, comprising Ramesh Gopalakrishnan and Bikramjit Batra, told the chief minister that human rights must be respected while dealing with militancy.

The team, which concluded its six-day visit on Sunday, arrived on Tuesday, on the first visit an AI team to Kashmir during the last 20 years of militancy here. According to team members, the Indian government does not allow AI to visit the Valley. “Since we are Indian citizens, we did not need any visa to travel to Kashmir,” they said.
While in the Valley, the team met a cross-section of people, including political leaders like PDP President Mehbooba Mufti and separatists Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik.

 They also interacted with senior officers of police, security forces and civil administration besides the Hindu and Sikh representatives here.
The team wanted to visit the Central jail on Sunday, but were denied permission. Before they left for New Delhi, Gopalakrishnan and Batra told reporters  that they would soon issue a report on the human rights situation in the Valley.
DH News Service