Separatists in Kashmir remain under house arrest

Srinagar, Jun 3: About a dozen separatist leaders, including chairmen of both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference(HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Mohammad Yaseen Malik, and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, remained under house arrest in the Kashmir Valley.

Meanwhile, more than 60 senior and second rank leaders and supporters of different separatist organisations also remained under preventive custody for the third day today.

However, official sources said these measures were taken to prevent any law and order problem in the Valley as the separatists had called for a general strike today.

Geelani, who had called for three-day strike from June 1 remained under house arrest since May 26.

A spokesman of the breakaway HC Aiyaz Akbar told UNI that he was not being allowed to leave by a large number of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police personnel deployed outside his Hyderpora residence.

Geelani had called for strike to protest the killing after alleged rape of two women at Shopian in south Kashmir on May 30 and bypoll in Hazratbal Assembly constituency today.

Rejecting the orders of a judicial probe by the government in the incident, Geelani said an international body should be asked to inquire into the incident. He alleged that human rights violations by the security forces continued without any check.

The HC chairman was earlier released on May 25 after remaining under house arrest since May 18 for his anti-election stand.

(UNI)