Mirwaiz Farooq signed bond to secure his release

Senior separatist leader and Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is among the detained leaders who have furnished a bond to the authorities to seek their release.

Top intelligence sources told IANS in Srinagar, "This has happened around a fortnight back. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is among many other detained politicians who have furnished bonds to seek their release."

The same sources said the undertaking by these politicians has stated that once released from preventive detention, the detainee would not indulge in any activity to create a law and order situation in the Valley.

It must be mentioned that three former Chief Ministers, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, are among nearly 40 mainstream politicians who were taken into preventive detention prior to the abrogation of Article 370 by the Parliament on August 5.

Among these detained politicians, authorities have detained Farooq Abdullah under the harsh Public Safety Act/Safety Act (PSA) that empowers the state to detain a person for a maximum period of two years without any judicial intervention. At present, PSA has been slapped on Farooq Abdullah for a period of three months.

Detentions under the PSA can only be challenged in the state high court or the Supreme Court.

Interestingly, the PSA invoked against Farooq Abdullah came into force during the chief ministership of his father late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1978.

Originally conceived to be used against timber smugglers, PSA has been used with impunity against separatists, terrorists and political rivals by subsequent governments in the state in the last 41 years. IANS