Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah arrested under stringent PSA

Srinagar: Farooq Abdullah, a three-term chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and five-time parliamentarian, was arrested on Monday under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) and his residence was declared a jail, officials said here.

Abdullah has been under detention since August 5, the day the Centre abrogated special status of the state, and the PSA was slapped against him hours before the Supreme Court heard a petition by MDMK leader Vaiko who claimed that Abdullah had been illegally detained in the state.

The National Conference chairman has been booked under the 'public order' provision of the PSA under which a person can be kept inside the jail from three to six months without a trial, the officials said.

Abdullah was served the notice under the PSA at 1 am on Monday, and his Gupkar Road house declared a jail, the officials said.

The 81-year-old Abdullah, who became the first chief minister against whom the PSA has been invoked, has a heart pacemaker implanted and had undergone a kidney transplant a few years ago.

Immediately after the detention of the sitting Lok Sabha MP, barricading came up on the Gupkar Road and concertina wire laid on the ground to regulate traffic.

The PSA has two sections - 'public order' and 'threat to the security of the state'. The former allows detention without trial for three to six months and the latter for two years.

His detention was to ensure that he did not participate in any rally being organised by Vaiko given forthcoming United Nations General Assembly, some leaders of his party National Conference said, requesting anonymity. After invoking of the PSA, the government has to constitute a committee which confirms the action. The aggrieved party can represent their case in the High Court for quashing of the PSA.