Muslim League leader Masrat Alam Bhat was rearrested after he was released on bail by a local court here Saturday.Alam was granted bail by Tehsildar (Executive Magistrate) Srinagar during a hearing of his preventive detention case. However, he was picked up by police from his Zendar Mohalla , Habba Kadal residence in Old City within hours of his release.Alam was arrested in October 2010 at the end of a bloody summer agitation in Kashmir, which left over 120 youth dead in police and paramilitary action, and was detained under Public Safety Act (PSA). He was instrumental in issuing protest calendars during the unrest.
Muslim League had moved a bail application in the court and the moment Alam was produced before it, the court issued his release orders.“It was a happy time not only for us but for Masrat’s family also as he was being released after a long time, but our happiness did not last long as police re-arrested him again,” said Muslim League, spokesman, Rafiq Ganai.“He was immediately taken to police station Shaheed Gunj,” said Ganai.
Meanwhile, police was reluctant to talk about the reason of his re-arrest. “Yes, he (Masarat) has been arrested. I can’t say more than that,” said a police official wishing anonymity.Earlier after his release, the Muslim League leader said he was freed after four years of detention during which he was lodged in different jails including JIC Srinagar and JIC Jammu. “I have been released by Tehsildar in an open court. I have been booked under PSA five times during the period of four years of detention. I was lodged in different jails like Kathua, Udhampur, Baramulla and Srinagar,” he told a local news agency KNS.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat Conference (G) chief Syed Ali Geelani has strongly condemned the police action terming it as “worst kind of state terrorism”.He said Alam is being subjected to political vengeance and that his continuous imprisonment doesn’t have any constitutional, legal or moral justification.The Hurriyat chairman said the “hooliganism” of the government will have serious fallout and will increase the anger of people.“The Omar Abdullah government has unleashed worst kind of cruelties on pro-freedom leaders and activists in its tenure,” said Geelani.“He (Alam) has been in prison for the last four years and during this period more than 10 PSAs has been slapped on him. The court has termed the allegations as baseless and ordered his release but the government always disrespected the court orders.”Alam is chairman of Muslim League — a constituent of Hurriyat Conference led by Geelani.