Cops scuttle separatist bid to take out march

Srinagar: Police on Saturday thwarted attempts by separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who are under house arrest, to take out processions from their residences to Lal Chowk.

In the first instance, Mirwaiz, the chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference, came out from his Nigeen residence located on the outskirts of Srinagar. He was immediately detained by the police and taken to Nigeen police station, officials said.

Separately, Geelani, who heads hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference, also tried to take out a march from his Hyderpora residence on Srinagar-Airport road. However, the police stopped the octogenarian leader, following which he along with his supporters staged a sit-in on the link road, officials said.

The sit-in lasted for over half-an-hour and ended peacefully, the officials said. The two Hurriyat factions as also JKLF led by Yasin Malik had given a call for ‘Lal Chowk March’ on Saturday and Sunday to press for ‘right of self-determination’ in accordance with the UN resolutions. While Mirwaiz and Geelani have been under house arrest, Malik is lodged in central jail here since his arrest on July 9 following widespread clashes in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

Prior to his arrest, Mirwaiz accused the central government of trying to hoodwink the people of the country and international community “by keeping a lid on the ground realities” in the valley. “They are claiming that some people are misguided. If that is the case, there is a great opportunity for them to conduct a referendum and see what the people of Kashmir want,” he told reporters.

He said “the reality is that the people of Kashmir neither demand employment or contracts nor the subsidy. The only demand is freedom and restoration of their rights. So the Indian government should read the writing on the wall.”