Jammu and Kashmir police takes arrest-release route to ‘counsel potential troublemakers’

SRINAGAR: Sitting inside a cell in the high-security Raj Bagh police station in Srinagar, a group of youths murmur among themselves. Minutes later, a constable asks them to come out and counts till seven. Once out, the boys aged 15-19 greet the station-in-charge. They are asked to form a queue and follow the constable, who shepherds them to the canteen behind the police station.
After nearly 20 minutes, the constable returns with the first batch and takes with him another set of seven boys, who are not handcuffed either. This is a daily routine in at least 90 police stations across the Valley, where the police has identified 1,200-1400 youths allegedly involved in stone-pelting and spreading rumours. Since withdrawal of special constitutional status granted to J&K, such youths are picked up by police and released routinely. Each police station maintains a list of suspects who could be potential troublemakers, said officials.

“We try to counsel their parents and ask them to appear at the local police stations. Parents of some younger boys are allowed to meet them on request,” a senior J&K police official told ET on condition of anonymity.

Officials estimate that areas under most police stations have 10-14 potential troublemakers while the number exceeds 20 in areas under some police stations in downtown Srinagar and is as low as five in some other places, said officials.

“Youths are released and detained depending upon the situation in what is described as revolving-door arrests. Some of them have been released after seeking assurance from their parents and relatives,” said the official.

Director general of police Dilbag Singh had earlier said, “Young people are detained and released after counselling. It’s not possible to share the numbers but it is a small number.”

Another police official, who did not wish to be identified, said that a few youths are lodged in police stations so that they do not create any nuisance. “The food given to them at the canteen is the same as what is being cooked for the police staff,” said the official.

A boy who identified himself as Tahir told ET, “At times, we are allowed to go back to our houses during the day but not in groups.”

Among those detained are a few minors as well, said officials. “A group of boys lodged at the police station were involved in attacking a TV crew near Dal Gate,” said one of the officials cited earlier.

However, parents who had assembled outside the Raj Bagh police station told a different story. “My 12-year-old nephew was brought by the police last week. Cops agreed to release him provided we gave assurance from 15 people in the locality. When my brother went to the police station seeking release of his son, the cops detained him as well,” alleged Nisar Ahmed, a resident of Hazuri Bagh in Srinagar.

A police official said the number of detentions was high during the first fortnight after the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution on August 5 but most of the youths were released after restrictions were eased. In many cases, the suspected potential troublemakers are asked to mark their attendance every day at the local police station. “This helps the police keep a track of those who go missing or are caught in stone-pelting at any other jurisdiction,” said a government official.

There are 12 jails in J&K, including two central jails in Kotbalwal and Srinagar, eight district jails in Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara, and three sub-jails in Hiranagar, Reasi and Kishtwar, with a total capacity of 2,775 prisoners.

As per the prison administration, the total number of prisoners below 20 years of age charged with different crimes stands at more than 1,000. The state administration said it was setting up new jails at Pulwama, Anantnag, Kishtwar and Kargil.

Besides, the state administration has declared Centaur Hotel as a subsidiary jail where 50 senior politicians and former ministers of J&K are lodged. Another 320-350 local politicians and workers have been shifted to jails in Agra, Ghaziabad and Jaipur. Former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdulla and are lodged at a guest house which has been declared a temporary jail under the orders of the district magistrate.

J&K jails: Inmates below 20 years

Anantnag: 129

Baramula: 179

Jammu Central Jail: 89

Jammu District Jail: 193

Srinagar: 319

Kathua: 74

Kupwara: 317

Udhampur: 113

(Source: National Prison Portal Information.)