Congress raises issue of Masrat Alam’s release again

Release done with the knowledge of the Centre, says Scindia

Congress member Jyotiraditya Scindia: "The release (of Alam) was done with the knowledge of the Central government".

The Congress party on Wednesday once again raised the issue of release of Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Masrat Alam, arguing that the decision was taken before the formation of the PDP—BJP coalition government in the state.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Congress member Jyotiraditya Scindia said two letters had surfaced that pointed to the fact that the detention order had lapsed a month ago and the decision to not renew the detention was taken before the coalition government was sworn in.

“There was a letter from the district magistrate that says that he [Masrat Alam] should be released. At that time, there was Governor’s rule in the state. That means that the Central government was responsible for the administration there,” Mr. Scindia said.

“If the government wanted, they could have issued another detention order. This proves that the release was done with the knowledge of the Central government,” Scindia added, seeking a clarification on the issue.

Responding to this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said: “This is a serious issue and we should not politicise it.”

Naidu said that Home Minister Rajnath Singh would soon make a statement on the issue in the house.