Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference parliamentarian from south Kashmir Lok Sabha segment, Justice Hasnain Masoodi releases one crore from MPLADs to fight Coronavirus, reiterated demand for release of political prisoners lodged in jails outside J&K.
According to a statement issued here, Masoodi following the footsteps of party president Dr farooq Abdullaha released Rs 25 lac from MPLADs for each 4 district hospitals of south Kashmir for procurement of emergency medical equipment necessary for fighting the COVID-19 Epidemic. Masoodi assured to take up the issue of shortage of ventilators in district hospitals of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam & Shopian with administration very soon to enable hospitals of south kashmir cater to needs of patients in case of any eventuality.
Masoodi assured to release more funds for District hospital Anantnag as it caters health needs of 1.5 million people. Measures are being taken so that masks and sanitizers are kept avialable to public at all health facilities of south Kashmir.
The Corona Virus has emerged as a threat to humankind as never before. It doesn’t respect geographical or political boundaries, artificially created community, caste or cultural barriers. It is affecting every aspect of activity and every segment of society. While Government of India as other governments around the globe are taking all possible steps to combat the challenge, its insensitivity to the plight of detainees under draconian Public Safety Act is deplorable, to say the least.
A few hundred detainees from Jammu and Kashmir mostly in early twenties some more than sixty years of age are lodged in Ambedkar Nagar, Lukhnow, Allahabad, Agra, Tihar and other jails, hundreds of miles away from their homes and their kith and kin. The Corona or Covid 19 crisis adversely affects their basic human rights and rights as detainees. The detainees are held without charge or trial but on a mere suspicion, in most of the cases unfounded and are not denuded of all their at the prison gate.
There are authoritative judicial pronouncements commanding the government to lodge the detainees in a jail nearest to the ordinary place of residence so that the relations visit a detainees after regular intervals and a detainee is not exposed to mental trauma because of absence of social interaction. In case of detainees from Jammu and Kashmir the direction is violated with impunity.
The Corona crisis has further compounded the plight of detainees as because of restrictions on traffic and travel, the relations would no more be in position to visit a detainees and a valuable right violated. It is shocking that though the government has directed release of even convicts serving sentence, it is insensitive to plight of detainees held without charge on mere suspicion of endangering peace.
