Amnesty International denied permission to hold press briefing in Srinagar
Srinagar: Authorities here Wednesday refused permission to Amnesty International to hold a briefing on alleged misuse of the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), which provides for detention of a person up to one year without trial.
An Amnesty spokesperson said the authorities had not given permission to the human rights organisation for holding a press briefing on the subject.
"We have been told that we have been denied official permission to hold the event, citing 'prevailing law and order situation'," the spokesperson said.
Later, the organisation issued a press release on the matter.
"The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) circumvents the criminal justice system in Jammu and Kashmir to undermine accountability, transparency and respect for human rights," the Amnesty International India alleged in the statement.
The human rights NGO claimed it analysed case studies of 210 detainees, who were booked under the PSA between 2012 and 2018.
The Amnesty International India called on the government of Jammu and Kashmir to immediately repeal the J&K Public Safety Act and other legislations facilitating the use of administrative detentions and ensure that all detainees held in administrative detention are released.
On the report, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said there is a rule of law in the country.
"The PSA is an Act and there is a judicial system which has checks and balances on the Act. You go and check the records. There are PSAs which are upheld by the courts and there are PSAs which are struck down by the courts.
"So please understand that the entire system is working under checks and balances. When the record is good, the court upholds, when the record is bad, the court strikes down," he said.
The chief secretary said sometimes police officers complain that so many PSAs are being struck down by the courts.
"So be it. That's the law of the nation. The strength of this country, the great nation of India is the rule of law. I think it is upheld by the courts and we have great pride in the courts," he added.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
