Navlakha detained at Sgr airport; to be deported today
Asem Mohiuddin
Srinagar, May 28: Police Saturday detained New-Delhi based human rights activist and writer Gautam Navlakha at Srinagar airport.
Gautam, who arrived from Delhi this afternoon, was detained at the Srinagar Airport and ordered to return.
“As I was to leave the Srinagar airport, some police officials detained me. They told me that I cannot move out of the airport as they feared that I can create law and order problem,” Gautam told Rising Kashmir over phone.
He said the police officials showed him a letter. “It read that under section 144, I can’t enter the Budgam district as well as rest of the Valley to avoid any possible trouble during my visit,” he said.
“The officials forced me to purchase the return tickets for tomorrow as there were no remaining flights out of Srinagar today,” Gautam said.
He said he was on trekking trip to Valley. “I was scheduled to visit north Kashmir on Sunday to climb the mountain peaks,” he said.
Terming the government move as unfortunate, he said, “How could have my visit instigate trouble in the Valley?”
“It is outrageous. They are not willing to listen to reason. This shows the level of control they exercise on people,” he said.
Gautum had castigated the role of government and security agencies while dealing with protestors during summer unrest last year. Over 112 persons, mostly teenagers died in police and troopers action during five month long summer unrest last year.
A police spokesman said the restrictions over the movement of Gautam were imposed to avoid the breach of public peace and tranquility.
“District Magistrate Budgam restricted his movement in view of the apprehensions of any breach of public peace and tranquility under section 144 of the criminal procedure code (CRPC),” he said.
International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir (IPTK) spokesman Khurram Parvez told Rising Kashmir that they visited Gautam, who has been lodged in Police Guest House Budgam, in the evening but were not allowed to meet him by the authorities.
Gautam is a frequent traveller to the Valley for last two decades and has written extensively about human rights violations in the state. He is also the Convener, International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir (IPTK) and Editorial Consultant, Economic and Political Weekly.
Meanwhile, Dr. Angana Chatterji, Convener IPTK said by the time the authorities finalized their decision regarding Gautam’s return, there were no remaining flights out of Srinagar. “He has been taken to an undisclosed location until May 30, when he will be allowed to return home,” she said.
“We understand that harassment, intimidation, and threats to IPTK members or their families are acts aimed to target and obstruct the work of the Tribunal. In November 2010, Professor Richard Shapiro, an academic from the United States was denied entry into India without any charges or due process,” she added.
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