Kishtwar Crackdown: Five Leaders Held Under PSA Amid Hydro Project Protests
5 Activists Detained Under PSA in Kishtwar Over Hydro Project Protests “Locals in Chenab Valley question the govt motives, and say this an attempt to silence critics as another environment activist is allegedly detained”
Kishtwar: In a controversial move that has drawn widespread criticism, five local union leaders have been detained under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) in Kishtwar district, with authorities claiming they were attempting to obstruct projects of national importance. The detentions come amid growing tensions between local activists and authorities over implementing hydropower projects in the region.
Detentions & Official Stance
Those detained under the provisions of J&K Public Safety Act, 1978, include Mohammad Abdullah Gujjar, resident of Sigdi Bhata, Noor Din, resident of Kakerwagan, Ghulam Nabi Choppan, resident of Trungi (Dachhan), Mohammad Jaffer Sheikh, resident of Nattas (Dool) and Mohammad Ramzan, resident of Dangduroo (Dachhan).
District Magistrate, Kishtwar, Rajesh Kumar Shavan, who recently took charge of the district, has taken a strong stance against what the administration terms “anti-national activities.” According to an official spokesperson, the detained individuals were “not desisting from their illegal acts” despite prior warnings. “There were apprehensions of disturbing public order and putting threat to the security of the state by them,” the spokesperson stated. “As soon as the warrants were received, the police took them into custody and executed the warrants.”
The administration has gone a step further by placing 22 other individuals under surveillance for allegedly attempting to obstruct national projects. The District Magistrate has specifically directed agencies to monitor persons who “try to disturb the public order by false propaganda and keeping an anti-national attitude of slowing pace of mega projects.”
Officials emphasize that Kishtwar’s sensitive security situation, with 3-4 terror attacks in the recent past, necessitates such strict measures.
Protesters’ Grievances
According to local sources and social media posts of activists and journalists from the Chenab Valley, the detained activists were voicing several specific concerns about the hydropower projects including infrastructure damage, environmental concerns, and compensation issues.
They alleged that local houses and properties allegedly suffered damage from project-related blasting and that construction work reportedly caused structural integrity issues in nearby buildings.
They also alleged blatant violations of environmental norms, increasing air pollution caused by these projects affecting local communities, and health hazards from construction activities.
They alleged that the trade unionists were also protesting inadequate compensation for land acquisitions and disputes over fair valuation of affected properties.
Political and Civil Society Response
The detentions have triggered strong reactions from various quarters. Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has expressed serious concern over the use of PSA and UAPA against the activists.
In a detailed statement on X (formerly Twitter), she noted that people across J&K have been booked under these “draconian laws” on trivial charges for the last five years. Mufti specifically highlighted that the arrests were made for “raising their voice against the exploitation of our water resources by NHPC to fill in their coffers.”
https://x.com/MehboobaMufti
She urged the new government of Jammu and Kashmir to look into the issue immediately and see that these draconian laws are not used arbitrarily against citizens for raising genuine concerns.
Security, policing, and power projects are subjects that continue to be under the central government through its nominated head, Lieutenant Governor.
Local journalist Anzer Ayoub has challenged the official narrative, emphasizing that those detained were trade union leaders rather than criminals. He characterized the arrests as “a gross abuse of power,” arguing that the real issue was the legitimate defense of local rights.
Another journalist told Kashmir Times that all the activists are facing charges for protesting against government policies and projects but none of them have militancy links.
Earlier, an official spokesperson had stated that those booked under PSA “have anti-national and anti-social records and were not desisting from their illegal acts” and called their protests a “deep-rooted conspiracy and nexus to sabotage the national interest.” Locals in the Chenab Valley view this action as yet another attempt to silence critics of government policies and actions.
Broader Pattern
The case appears to be part of a wider crackdown on environmental activism in the region. Close on the heels of these detentions, another local environmental activist Rehmatullah Ahmed was detained and booked under PSA for challenging Doda’s administration on civic issues, suggesting a pattern of using security laws against environmental and civic activists.
On November 5, news agency IANS posted a video of Rehmatullah Ahmed protesting against the soil waste management project initiated by the National Building Construction Corporation Limited in 2008.
According to detained activist Rehmatullah Ahmed, despite significant investment, the project has failed to deliver on its promises of converting garbage into manure, instead leading to health issues due to regular garbage burning.
Doda’s elected legislator, Mehraj Malik, also condemned the arrest and tweeted, “This young man is detained under PSA today, yesterday he had raised questions on Distt Administration Doda for their failure. This area could not be cleaned but he is arrested now. This is Swatchh Bharat of Modi.”
He also posted a previous video of Rehmatullah protesting against unscientific waste disposal. The detentions highlight several critical issues including the tension between national development projects and local environmental concerns and the use of security laws like PSA against environmental and trade union activists. Source
