Srinagar, Feb 20: Authorities on Thursday invoked Public Safety Act (PSA) which allows six months detention without trial against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Peer Mansoor Ahmad, taking number of political leaders booked under the contentious law to nine.
Officials said PDP leader Peer Mansoor Ahmad was served with dossier this morning informing the latter of his detention under PSA. However, he was not shifted from MLA hostel.
Close aide of incarcerated PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, Peer Mansoor became the ninth politician including three former chief ministers to be booked under stringent act after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and the erstwhile state was split into two Union Territories in August last year.
While National Conference (NC) president and three times chief minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah was the first mainstream political leaders to be booked under PSA, his son Omar Abdullah and PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti were booked under the same act earlier this month.
Farooq Abdullah remains detained at his Gupkar residence, Omar Abdullah is detained at Hari Niwas, also at Gupkar, while Mehbooba Mufti was shifted from Chashma Shahi sub-jail to government quarters at Maulana Azad Road in November last.
Dr Shah Faesal who left his IAS job to float Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), was also slapped with PSA last week. Few other leaders of NC and PDP which include Ali Mohammad Sagar, Sartaj Madni, Nayeem Akhtar Andrabi, and Hilal Lone also serve detention under PSA at present.
The administration had released some known politicians like Peoples Conference chairman and former minister Sajad Gani Lone, former Speaker of J&K Legislative Assembly, Mubarak Gul, advisor to NC vice-president Tanvir Sadiq, but they have been placed under house-detention.
