Srinagar: Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was Saturday detained after he defied house arrest and tried to march towards Lal Chowk city centre here to demand the resolution of the Kashmir issue during Prime Minister’s visit to the state.
Farooq, who was under house arrest, came out of his Nigeen residence and tried to march towards Lal Chowk, a police official said. Policemen, waiting outside his house, took the Hurriyat chairman into preventive custody and shifted him to the Nigeen Police Station.
Farooq Friday said the government should allow the people to assemble at Lal Chowk so that they can convey their ‘Mann ki Baat’ to the Prime Minister during his visit Saturday.
“Mr Modi all have been listening to your ‘Mann ki baat’ for years now. As you come here tomorrow, allow us Kashmiris to peacefully gather at Lal Chowk so that you hear our ‘Mann ki baat’! It’s just three words- Resolve Kashmir Dispute,” Farooq had said in his address to Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here.
Separatists under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had asked people to observe a complete shutdown and march to Lal Chowk city centre to convey to Modi their demand for resolution of the Kashmir issue.
The JRL, which comprises Mirwaiz, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had in a statement said, “India will try to use the visit of its Prime Minister to mislead the world community and its own people by claiming that people of Jammu and Kashmir are happy being part of India. The ground reality is that the situation in the state is like hell.”
Meanwhile, the police also took into custody several leaders and activists of the JKLF after they tried to march towards Lal Chowk. The JKLF activists were taken into custody near Maisuma, a JKLF spokesman said. He said they were immediately shifted to Kothibagh police station.
