‘Virtual imprisonment’: GPS tracking system affixed on another bailed-out Kashmiri in IIOJK
Srinagar: In total violation of privacy and personal freedom, the police authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have affixed Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking system on another bailed out Kashmiri.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the police in Baramulla affixed the GPS anklet on an under-trial Kashmiri who was enlarged on bail after he was booked under the draconian the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in Uri Police Station.
The police have given their action a legal cover by saying that they were complying with the court order, adding the GPS anklet would be used to monitor the movement of the under-trial
This is not the first time that the Indian authorities have affixed GPS tracking system on a Kashmiri. The first victim of the India’s novel punishment is an elderly Kashmiri, Ghulam Muhammad Butt, a resident of Srinagar. The 65-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Butt has been walking with the tracker around his ankle since November 2023.
Rights activists have slammed the Indian authorities for putting a GPS tracker on the body of a man facing trial in IIOJK. They said the GPS anklet is a form of ‘virtual imprisonment’. They argued that electronic tagging fitted to the body of a person may raise issues of fundamental liberties, such as freedom of movement or a person’s right to privacy. “Given that it is used against undertrial accused, it relies on the logic that one is guilty until proven innocent. That is injustice”, they added.
