Kashmir: Man booked under PSA for shooting video of army truck accident

Ground Report | New Delhi: Kashmir: Man booked under PSA; A Kashmiri youth has been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly making a video of an elderly woman being crushed by a military truck in Nadihal area of ​​Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district.

The youth has been identified as 35-year-old Bashir Ahmed Bhat and he runs a shop in Nadihal, Bandipora. His family has alleged that Bashir has been shifted to a jail in Jammu after registering a case against him under the PSA.

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Kashmir: Man booked under PSA

According to the report of 'The Wire', this accident happened on 14 July 2021 in front of Bashir Ahmed Bhat's shop when a convoy of military trucks was passing through Nadihal village. Bashir was also arrested along with seven other people after the incident for allegedly inciting violence, inciting youth, and raising slogans near the accident site.

Although all eight people, including Bashir, got bail after fifteen days, the police kept Bashir in custody for a little longer, citing completion of some legal formalities, but on the same day, they were booked under the Public Safety Act.

Police said in its report on Bashir, "On reaching the accident site, the police came to know that some people were raising pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. Police had received information, which revealed that Bashir was among the accused who raised slogans.

However, Bashir's family denied the allegations, saying that Bashir was taken into custody because he had made a video of the accident.

A relative of Bashir said on condition of anonymity, “Some videos of the accident had gone viral on social media. One of these videos was shot by Bashir and he was detained because of this video. The police came to his shop and took him away. Police said they have to check some things, he will be released later, but he was not released.

Bashir's family claims that they did not know about the section of the PSA until Bashir called from another person's phone to inform them that he had been shifted to Jammu and PSA had been imposed.

Bashir's wife Shamima said, "Since then we have no information about his whereabouts and well-being." Bashir's family members and villagers say that Bashir has no prior history of stone-pelting and FIR or trouble-making image.

What is PSA?

The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978 is a preventive detention law whereby a person is detained to prevent him from acting in any manner which is "prejudicial to the security or maintenance of the State. Public". Order”. It is similar to the National Security Act which is used by other state governments for preventive detention.

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It is enforced either by an administrative order passed by the Divisional Commissioner or the District Magistrate and not on specific charges or by a detention order by the police for specific violations of laws.

By definition, preventive detention is meant to be preventive, not punitive. This broad definition is the most common basis used by a law-enforcement agency when it comes to slapping a PSA on an individual. It is enforced either by an administrative order passed by the Divisional Commissioner or the District Magistrate and not on specific charges or by a detention order by the police for specific violations of laws.

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