Srinagar(J&K):Followed by three arrests over the past two months, Kashmiri journalist Fahad Shah was on Monday slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA), confirmed his counsel. He has been under police custody since his first arrest on February 4, followed by a re-arrest on March 5 immediately after a court had granted him bail - a classic revolving door policy move to keep him behind the bars for a longer time.
"Yesterday, we filed an application for bail in the third case against Fahad Shah in the National Investigation Agency (NIA)'s special court. We were hopeful of securing bail as our case is strong just like the previous two cases (Pulwama and Shopian). But we did not succeed," Shah's lawyer Umair Ronga told ETV Bharat over the phone. "The administration informed the court today that Shah has now been slapped with PSA. We do not have the dossier yet," he added
Shah's colleague at The Kashmir Walla, also told ETV Bharat that Shah was previously granted bail in two cases and was expecting to get the bail in the third case too. "But the PSA was unexpected. It is not yet clear why and on what basis they have imposed it. We will perhaps get some clarity over it after receiving the copy of the dossier by evening," he said while adding that Shah is currently undergoing medical examination and will soon be shifted to jail after that.