SRINAGAR:Thousands of people have been detained in Indian Kashmir over fears of unrestafter New Delhi stripped the region of its autonomy two weeks ago, governmentsources told AFP. A magistrate speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity saidat least 4,000 people were arrested and held under the Public Safety Act (PSA),a controversial law that allows authorities to imprison someone for up to twoyears without charge or trial.
"Most ofthem were flown out of Kashmir because prisons here have run out ofcapacity," the magistrate said, adding that he had used a satellite phoneallocated to him to collate the figures from colleagues across the Himalayanterritory amid a communications blackout and lockdown imposed by authorities.The revelations came as the family of a timber trader alleged he died aftersuffocating from tear gas fired by security forces.
"They(security forces) first damaged the property and when he went out to check,they fired tear gas shells and because of the smoke, he suffocated anddied," Muddasir Ahmed, the nephew of 62-year-old Sidiq Khan, told AFPSunday during his wake. The Kashmir government did not immediately respond to arequest for comment. One youth had died in the early days of the lockdown afterhe jumped into a river while being chased by police.
Authorities haverepeatedly declined to provide a tally of how many people have been taken intocustody, apart from confirming more than 100 local politicians, activists andacademics were detained in the first few days after the state was stripped ofits semi-autonomous status. They said the "few preventive detentions"were made to avoid a "breach of the peace" in a region that hasfought an armed rebellion against Indian rule for three decades. Those detainedinclude high-profile former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.
Jammu and Kashmirgovernment spokesman Rohit Kansal said previously there was "nocentralized figure" for the total number of people detained. But AFP spoketo numerous government officials in Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, includingpolice and security personnel, who confirmed the sweeping arrests. A policeofficial who asked to remain anonymous told AFP "around 6,000 people weremedically examined at a couple of places in Srinagar after they weredetained". "They are first sent to the central jail in Srinagar andlater flown out of here in military aircraft," he added.
Residents livingaround the airport in Srinagar, where the Indian Air Force controls airtraffic, say military aircraft land and take off every night. Another securityofficial said "thousands are jailed" but that the figure did notinclude other residents whose detentions at police stations had not been recorded.Families of those detained were reluctant to speak to AFP, fearing they wouldget into trouble with authorities. A resident who asked not to be named toldAFP a shopkeeper was arrested despite not taking part in protests, with apolice officer telling him he was detained "because he talks a lot".
Authoritiesyesterday earlier reinstated the heavy restrictions even though they hadearlier flagged easing them, after eight people were injured during protests.The Press Trust of India news agency cited unnamed officials saying there hadbeen clashes in a dozen locations around Srinagar on Saturday. Authorities havepreviously denied or played down reports of any violence and stressed that mostof the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley has been peaceful.
State governmentspokesman Kansal told reporters late Saturday that eight people had beeninjured in the clashes but did not provide further details. A senior governmentofficial told AFP earlier yesterday that more telephone exchanges would returnto normal operations "by the evening" and schools in some areas wouldreopen today. New Delhi's shock decision has sparked public anger andfrustration and there have been several rallies in Srinagar attractingthousands of demonstrators. - AFP