MEDIA REPORTS USED TO DETAIN FAROOQ ABDULLAH
A dossier put in public domain shows 3-time Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and sitting MP Farooq Abdullah was detained under the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA) on the basis of 34 media reports on "activities attributed to him prior to the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution."
Contrary to the media reports that the PSA was not invoked against him to prevent a threat to the security of the state that is usually applied under Part B of Section 8(1) of the Act against the separatist leaders, militants and persons linked to heinous crimes.
Instead, he was booked under Part A of the Act that deals with situation and circumstances to prevent any law and order problem that may breach peace and tranquillity.
The supporting material in the detention order issued by Srinagar district magistrate Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on September 14 are media reports and documents. The dossier says the DM scanned them to come to a "subjective satisfaction" that the "situation may spiral out of control, if on the ground the intentions of the subject (Farooq) were to materialises."
The order, which was approved by a review committee within 24 hours on Sunday, says the invocation of PSA against Dr Abdullah was necessitated and
"became absolutely unavoidable" by compelling circumstances and in view of the "current circumstances."
Dr Abdullah's speeches prior to the lockdown on Jammu and Kashmir were used in the order to state that they "left no option open to the authorities but to resort to preventive detention law."
His National Conference party leaders, however, assert that there is nothing in the media reports cited in the dossier to evenly remotely suggest that Dr Abdullah had called for any action that would have resulted in any breach of peace and tranquillity, the charge levelled for his detention.
The order said: "The credible apprehensions which came to be entertained in view of the clear-cut intentions demonstrated by him can be described anything except peaceful. The material which came into public domain created alarm as to what the reaction among cadres of his party may be."
"The maintenance of public order is of paramount consideration and anything which may even remotely suggests of going to disturb it, cannot be afforded to be left unaddressed," the order added.