Srinagar (J&k): Days after prominent religious clerics, Moulana Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi, Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri and Moulana Abdul Majeed Dar Almadni were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA), police in Kashmir arrested another noted religious preacher Sarjan Barkati in Shopian district. Family members of Barkati while confirming the development said that he was arrested by police on Saturday at around 6:45 am. Barkati, who was at the forefront of anti-India protests in the aftermath of Hizb militant Burhan Wani's killing in August 2016, was released after four years of detention in October 2020.
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Barkati's family while condemning his fresh arrest said that since he was released, he hasn't taken part in protests, hasn't delivered any speech and they are unable to understand why he has been arrested now. Five persons, including three influential religious scholars of South Kashmir, were detained on Thursday.
The arrested persons include Maulana Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri, Abdul Majeed Dar Al Madani and Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi. "We are considering booking the clerics under the Public Safety Act and shifting them to Jammu jail. The PSA is an administrative law that allows detention in certain cases for up to two years without charge or trial," police said.
Barkati was released during the last week of October 2021 after being in jail for over four years. He was arrested on October 01, 2016, while protests following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Muzzafar Wani was at a peak in the Valley.
