SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday urged authorities to review the practice of booking young people under anti-terror laws, citing the case of two Baramulla youths 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 the case 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 of the two acquitted youths 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.
