Srinagar, May 1 (IANS): The Jammu and Kashmir government has released 371 prisoners since April 1 that include 72 inmates who were serving detention under Public Safety Act (PSA).

Sources said the decision to release the prisoners was taken after the need to decongest the jails was felt in the wake of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed eight lives in J&K so far.

The Review Committee in J&K headed by Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra took a series meetings to review the cases of prisoners to be released.

Latest figures available with the IANS reveal that 72 PSA detainees were released from April 1 to April 30 that include 19 from Central Jail Kotbalwal, 43 from Central Jail Srinagar, four from Kathua Jail, one from Udhampur and one each from Anantnag, Baramulla and Kupwara prisons.

Figures suggest that 97 undertrials were also released from these jails after a decision by the Under-Trial Review Committee. Besides this, 160 other prisoners were also released over the past one month.

64 detention orders of prisoners from J&K lodged in jails outside the UT were revoked from April 1 to 30 and so far 43 PSA detainees were released.

Figures suggest that 23 prisoners lodged in Agra Central Jail were released while two were released from district jail Bareilly in UP, six each from District Jail Ambedkar Nagar (UP) and Central Jail Varanasi and three each were released from District prison Karnal and District prison Jhajhar in Haryana.