Advisory sent to J&K govt to pursue all cases against Masarat, says Rajnath

Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha Thursday. ( PTI)

After being nudged by Centre, which sought “bail condition” details of all 27 cases registered against Hurriyat hardliner Masarat Alam, the J&K government has sent documents to it, but mostly Urdu.

This is the third report sent by the state government.

The Centre earlier had expressed displeasure over incomplete reports sent by the state. The Centre had found itself in an embarrassing position, when it was revealed that Alam’s release order were issued during the Governor’s rule and not by the Mufti government.

“The state government has sent details of nine cases… barring two, the rest seven are in Urdu… we will take time to translate it and see whether they have sent relevant papers,” a senior MHA official.

The Ministry also issued an advisory to J&K government, asking it to pursue pending cases against Alam and take steps to challenge his bail.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed both Houses Thursday that the state has been asked to pursue all cases against Alam. “The state government has… informed that a proper system is in place to have an effective surveillance of Masarat Alam Bhat’s activities. When anything adverse surfaces, appropriate action… will be taken,” Singh said.

Quoting the MHA advisory, he said: “A close surveillance must be ensured on… activities of Masarat Alam Bhat and his other associates and followers, which are detrimental to the public order or the unity and integrity of the country in general and the state of J&K in particular.”

Congress’s Jyotiraditya Scindia, however, said in Lok Sabha that Singh was misleading the House. He said when the decision to release Alam was taken, the state was under Governor’s Rule and responsibility for it lies with the Centre as well.

Source:: Indian Express