Authorities have slapped Public Safety Act (PSA) on Hurriyat (G) leader and Muslim League chairman, Masarat Alam Bhat, official sources said on Thursday.They said that district magistrate Budgam ordered Alam’s detention under the PSA vide order no: DMB/PSA/02 OF 2015 DATED 21-04-2015 and later shifted him to Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu.Meanwhile, a spokesman of Muslim League told GNS that on Thursday morning they went to meet Masarat but were informed that he has been shifted to some unknown jail last night following PSA.Official sources confirmed that Masarat has been shifted to Jammu jail after PSA was slapped on him. “He has been shifted to Kot Bhalwal jail Jammu,” they said.
Masarat Alam was arrested on April 17 from his residence at Zaindar Mihalla,in old Srinagar after he was booked for sedition charges for raising pro-Pakistan slogans during a rally on April 15 at Hyderpora, Srinagar on the arrival of Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Geelani. Other leaders who were charged for sedition include Syed Ali Geelani, Peer Saifullah, Ayaz Akbar, Mehraj-ul-din Kalwal.The order under PSA comes on the day when a Chief Judicial Magistrate Budgam reserved decision on his bail plea. A team of lawyers challenged his booking under sedition and waging war against the state. Citing a High court’s judgment in 80s, his counsel said that it is not an offence to hoist Pakistan flag.This is 26th PSA detention against Alam since 1990. (GNS)