Police arrest 144 children in Kashmir this year: Report

Police in Indian Kashmir have detained 144 children, including a nine-year-old, between August 5 and September 23 this year, according to a court-appointed committee's report.

According to data attached to the report filed by the four-judge Juvenile Justice Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir High court, the children had been picked up under preventive detention in the immediate aftermath of the August 5 lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir.

The report filed by the four-judge Juvenile Justice Committee (JJC) of the J&K High court, however, maintains that the detainee’ children were released from custody on the same day as their detention’ and no child was kept or taken into illegal detention by the Police authorities as strict adherence is placed on the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The four-member JJC, which includes justices AM Magrey, DS Thakur, Sanjeev Kumar and Rashid Ali Dar of the J&K High court, has not made any comments on the inquiry conducted, but has reproduced the report filed by the DGP Srinagar, who has "categorically refuted the assertions and allegations made in the media reports" and the PIL.

According to the data attached to the report, 144 children under 18 years of age had been picked up by police between August 5 and September 23 this year, reports India today.

Eighty six of these children were picked-up under Preventive Detention provisions of the Criminal procedure Code in areas said to be affected by stone-pelting and other disturbance’.

The remaining children were arrested under allegations of rioting, stone-pelting, causing damage to public property, wrongfully restraining movement of persons and attacking police personnel.

An 11-year-old was picked-up under section 107 under CrPC provisions from Batamaloo on August 5, while a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old from Batamaloo were picked up on August 7.

All these children were released the same day they were detained, according to the chart filed by police.