10 Inmates Died in Last One Year in Assam Detention Centres: Govt

New Delhi: Ten inmates of Assam's six detention centres, where declared or convicted 'foreigners' are kept, died in last one year, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said as many as 3,331 people have been lodged at the six detention centres in Assam, while another such facility with a capacity to put 3,000 people is under construction in the state.

"Ten inmates of the six detention centres in Assam, where declared foreigners or convicted foreigners are kept, died in different hospitals from March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020," he said in a written reply.

Foreigners or convicted foreigners are kept at the detention centres.

There are six detention centres in Assam having capacity of 3,331 people. They are Tezpur (797 people), Silchar (479), Dibrugarh (680), Jorhat (670), Kokrajhar (335) and Goalpara (370 people), Rai said.

He also said there is no National Register of Citizens (NRC) detention camp in Assam.

During the last one year, from March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020, three teams of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have visited the detention centers in Assam and interacted with the declared foreign nationals, the minister added.

450 J&K Persons Under Preventive Detention in Various Jails

A total of 450 people, including alleged stone-pelters, miscreants, over ground workers (OGWs) and separatists of Jammu and Kashmir are at present under preventive detention in various jails, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said regular review was being undertaken on case to case basis and accordingly, extension in detention or revocation is made based on reports of field agencies and ground situation.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has reported that in order to prevent commission of offences involving breach of peace and tranquillity, activities prejudicial to the security of the state and maintenance of public order, nearly 450 people including stone pelters, miscreants, over ground workers (OGWs), separatists, etc., are presently under preventive detention and are lodged in various jails and subsidiary jails, he said in a written reply to a question.

Even though DMK member A Ganeshamurthi asked the government to reply on the total number of political leaders who are under house arrest along with the reasons for their arrest, the Union minister did not give any details.

Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti continue to be in detention since August 5 when the central government announced the abrogation of Article 370.

Another former chief minister Farooq Abdullah was released last week after seven months in detention.

79 Terror Incidents in J&K Since Art 370 Abrogation

A total of 79 terrorist incidents have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir ever since the central government abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

However, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy maintained that no major terror attack took place in the hinterland of the country between August 5, 2019 and March 10, 2020.

Altogether 79 terrorist incidents have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir during the period from August 5, 2019 to March 10, 2020, in which 49 terrorists have been neutralised, he said during Question Hour.

Replying to another question, Reddy said the investigation into the February 2019 terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir was still on.

"After the Pulwama attack, 82 security force personnel (including 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama) have laid their lives in fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

The government announced abrogation of Article 370 provisions on August 5 last year.