J&K High Court Bar Association ex-chief held under Public Safety Act

Adil Akhzer

Srinagar, July 11

Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested the former president of the J&K High Court Bar Association, Nazir Ahmad Ronga, in the early hours of Thursday from his Srinagar residence and booked him under the Public Safety Act.

Ronga’s family took to social media and said he was arrested at 1.10 am. Ronga is the second ex-president of the lawyers’ body to be arrested.

Ronga’s son Umair Ronga, wrote on X that his father has “been arrested in a deeply disturbing turn of events.”

“At 1:10 am, a contingent of J&K Police arrived at our home without any arrest warrant, merely stating, ‘It’s an order from above’ (uper se order hai). We are left in a state of shock and profound distress. We can only hope this is not another instance of the PSA being misused to intimidate the members of the J&K High Court Bar Association,” Umair wrote.

Family sources said police have informed the family that Ronga has been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) and would be taken to Jammu’s Kot Bhalwal jail. A family member said they were not provided the grounds of his detention yet.

Mian Abdul Qayoom, also a former president of the bar association, was arrested last month in connection with murder of Advocate Babar Qadri by terrorists in 2020.

Meanwhile, detention of Ronga has been criticised by many. “We denounce the nocturnal arrest of Nazir Ahmed Ronga from his home, slapping of PSA on him and shifting him to Kotbalwal as per his family sources,” Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement.

“Ronga is an elderly person and not keeping well and it is unfortunate that the policy of repression and instilling fear among people continues to be pursued by those in power,” Mirwaiz said. Former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, said “Ronga is the latest victim of its oppressive actions.”

“The cycle of violence continues unabated in J&K that too in areas which rarely witnessed militancy. Everyday soldiers are being martyred. GOI (Government of India) hasn’t only failed to end militancy but is venting its frustration by launching a vicious crackdown on helpless Kashmiris,” she wrote on X.

Nazir Ahmad Ronga, ad-hoc chairman of the Bar Association, was previously president of the High Court Bar Association. In 2020, the Srinagar administration stopped the Bar Association from holding its annual elections, claiming that the constitution of the bar was not in line with the Constitution of India.

Ronga’s arrest comes days after the Election Committee of the Bar Association again started the process for holding the election.

Victim of govt’s oppression: Mehbooba

• Senior advocate and former president of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Nazir Ahmad Ronga arrested
• Ronga was arrested from his residence in the Nishat area of Srinagar and booked under the PSA
• Ronga is the second ex-president of the lawyers’ body to be arrested
• Mian Abdul Qayoom, also a former president of the bar association, was arrested last month in connection with a murder of an advocate
• PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq slammed the arrest of Ronga saying, “Ronga is the latest victim of govt’s oppressive actions.”
• “We can only hope this is not another instance of the PSA being misused to intimidate the members of the J&K High Court Bar Association,” wrote Ronga’s son Umair on X.