SRINAGAR: Indian police have arrested the president of the High Court Bar Association Nazir Ahmad Ronga, under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) in Srinagar city of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Advocate Nazir Ahmad Ronga was arrested during midnight raid at his home in Srinagar.
His family stated that they were informed by the police that advocate Ronga has been booked under the PSA.
Uzair Ronga, Ronga’s son and also an advocate at the Srinagar High Court, expressed his concern online, saying, “In a distressing development, my father, Advocate N. A. Ronga, has been arrested. At 1:10 am, a contingent of J&K Police arrived at our home without an arrest warrant, simply stating, ‘It’s an order from above.’ We hope this is not another misuse of the PSA to intimidate Bar Association members.”
Speaking to media, Uzair said, “This morning, during his medical check-up, police informed us about his detention under the PSA. They mentioned he would be moved to a jail in Jammu. The family has not been informed about the grounds of detention yet.”
Advocate Ronga, who has served multiple terms as president of the High Court Bar Association, has been holding the position since 2020, following the prevention of annual elections by IIOJK authorities. The last elections were held in 2018 and were due in September 2019 but couldn’t be held because of abrogation of IIOJK’s special status and subsequent curfew.
Advocate Ronga’s arrest follows recent efforts by the Election Committee of the High Court Bar Association to initiate elections. However, the New Delhi-installed IIOJK administration once again obstructed the process when the committee aimed to complete the elections by July 31.
Mirwaiz denounces nocturnal arrest of Nazir Ahmed Ronga in Srinagar
Senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has strongly denounced the nocturnal arrest of Nazir Ahmed Ronga, the Chairman of the High Court Bar Association, from his home in Srinagar, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Mirwaiz in a statement issued in Srinagar expressed anguish and concern over the slapping of the draconian law, Public Safety Act (PSA), on Ronga and his transfer to Kotbhalwal Jail.
Mirwaiz described Ronga as a close aide of Shaheed-e-Millat Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq. He expressed solidarity with Ronga’s family and said that the policy of repression and instilling fear among people continues to be pursued by those in power.
In a separate incident, a delegation from Darul Khair Mirwaiz Manzil, led by Mufti Ghulam Rasool Samoon, visited the affected families of a recent fire incident at Eidgah and Rajouri Kadal Srinagar and presented them with aid and basic necessities.
Darul Khair Mirwaiz Manzil has been providing financial and material support to the people in need during calamities without discrimination of caste, creed, and religion and is engaged in the rehabilitation of the victims as much as possible.
