Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday urged the authorities to review the practice of booking young people under stringent anti-terror laws, citing the case of two youths from Baramulla who spent six years in jail before being acquitted by a court after finding the evidence against them unreliable.
In a statement, the Mirwaiz said the case highlighted the human cost of prolonged detention, particularly when the evidence ultimately fails to establish guilt.
“The years lost by the two young men cannot be returned,” he said.
He said their acquittal also raised wider concerns about the arrest and continued detention of Kashmiri youth under stringent anti-terror legislation.
In a post on X, the Mirwaiz urged the authorities to reconsider their approach and “relook and do justice to the thousands of youth under prolonged detention”.
He said the case should prompt a broader review of the circumstances in which young people are booked under anti-terror laws and remain in custody for extended periods.
