Three teachers allegedly employed at a religious school in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir have been arrested by the police on Monday under the PSA. The three teachers are said to be involved in indulging their students into militant activities and the Jammu and Kashmir police has arrested them under the Public Safety Act according to the PTI.
The Public Safety Act empowers local authorities in such a way that they can detain people whom they suspect for being potential violators of law and order or a threat to people’s safety in the region. The arrests made under the Public Safety Act can allow the authorities to detain a person for one year and they can detain someone who is being seen as a threat to national security for up to two years. What makes the PSA unique is that it gives the authorities a free hand and allows for arrests without formal charges or trial.
Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Accused of Teaching Hate to Students
The three teachers who were recently arrested from a religious school in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir were accused of engaging in teaching students hatred against other communities and brain washing them into militant activities along with the school’s alumni. In a press conference that was recently held, the IG of Police Vijay Kumar noted that the school in which the three teachers taught was affiliated to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami outfit.
The Police and local authorities are reported to have had their first doubts on the school when it was found that several students who had studied there were involved in militant activities and were readily joining terror groups. According to a report published in the PTI, Sajjad Bhat, an ex-student of the school was also involved and one of the key accused in the Pulwama terror attacks that shook the country in having killed over 40 CRPF personnel. The Police has noted that it has been keeping a strict eye on the functioning of the school and is conducting an investigation into the matter.
School Authorities Dismiss Claims, Allege Harassment
The school authorities have been looking at the arrest of the three teachers and the doubts that have been put forward by the police as baseless and have countered the allegations by saying that this is an attempt to harass them.
The school authorities have said that those alumni who have joined the militant groups have done so long after they passed out of the school and the school has nothing to do with their decision. They have also said that none of the teachers who have been arrested teach at the school. The school has students from regions like Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag, which are are politically considered to be places where a large number of militants are nurtured and intelligence agencies have sharp eyes on these regions.
