Congress leader Manish Tewari has questioned a statement by Home Minister Rajnath Singh that Masarat Alam’s detention cannot be extended beyond two years.
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"If you go by the statement of the Home Minister, that his (Masarat Alam) detention cannot be extended beyond two years, then is the Home Minister saying that the detention of Masarat Alam after 2012 was illegal?,” asked Mr. Tewari.
"This is a very grave statement for the Home Minister to make with regard to the detention of a person whose antecedents are clearly anti—Indian,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Tewari urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell the nation whether separatist leader Masarat Alam is a terrorist or a political prisoner, and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was playing a dangerous game.
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Alam was released from Baramulla prison following the new Jammu and Kashmir government’s policy to free political prisoners who do not face criminal charges.
Alam is the chairman of Muslim League, a constituent of hard—line Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and is widely seen as the latter’s successor.
He had been convicted for organizing anti—India protests resulting in the death of 112 people in stone pelting across the Valley in 2010.
Masarat’s release has drawn criticism from several political parties.