The Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested 2,729 youngsters in 2017 and also booked 129 under the Public Safety Act Greater Kashmir reported on Friday, citing police data. The number has reduced drastically from 2016 when 11,449 youngsters were arrested and 439 were charged under the law.

The daily reported that the unrest in the Valley that started in July 2016 continued for the first five months of 2017. Thereafter, the situation was brought under control. Most of the 879 incidents where the Act was violated in 2017 occurred in southern districts of Kashmir such as Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian.

The state government in reply to a Right to Information query said on Wednesday that there were no rules or standard operating procedures for issuing preventive detention orders under the Act, IANS reported. “However, every case is examined on its merit by the deputy commissioner concerned in the light of the dossier submitted by the SSP/SP and in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978,” the home department said.