Procedural hiccups for Pulwama DM after Bareilly jail objects to email order to release J&K prisoner

Bareilly: After Pulwama district magistrate’s (DM) recent email order on revocation of detention of a ‘high profile’ Kashmiri prisoner, the district jail authorities in response have shot back a letter stating that “email was not a sufficient document for releasing an inmate” and sought for an immediate hard copy of the release order through a “proper channel”.‘High profile’ prisoner Riyaz Ahmad Bhat has been lodged at Bareilly jail since August 9.
Senior superintendent of district jail, UK Mishra, told TOI on Wednesday, “As far as the email is concerned, we have written a letter to Pulwama district administration seeking the original copy of release orders, which must be sent through a proper channel. Until the original copy of revocation of detention arrives, the detainee’s release will be held up.”
A native of Androsa village of Pampore tehsil in Pulwama district, Bhat is one of the 20 ‘high profile’ prisoners lodged in various jails of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) state. He was shifted to Bareilly prison on August 9 after the abrogation of Article 370. District jail sources said that Bhat was arrested by J&K police in May ahead of third round of polling for Lok Sabha elections that was scheduled on May 6.
On Bhat, Mishra said, “I am travelling right now and cannot say anything more about [Riyaz Ahmad] Bhat without going through his file.”
According to jail authorities, the Pulwama DM had sent them an email on October 19 citing revocation of detention order that had a signature of special secretary of home department of J&K government. Bhat was shifted here from Srinagar’s Central Jail in compliance with J&K government’s orders which were issued on August 8.
The jail authorities further explained that the original copy of release orders must come via chief secretary and district magistrate. “The Pulwama DM should send the copy of release order to the UP government and the DM here could be conveyed about the same. And he would forward it to us with instructions. This procedure is followed every time an inmate from another state is released after intervention of the government of that particular state,” they said.
Notably, a batch of 20 prisoners from various prisons in J&K was shifted to Bareilly district jail a day after 26 prisoners had been shifted to Agra Central Jail. All prisoners were transferred in an aircraft that landed at Indian Air Force’s Trishul Air Base, from where they were taken to the district jail under heavy security. In fact, inmates from J&K are being kept in isolation in different barracks.