Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik was on Thursday detained while moderate Hurriyat Conference chairperson Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest, reported PTI. The police took the action to prevent them from leading protests. Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani is already under house arrest.
Malik was taken into custody from his Maisuma residence and has been lodged in Kothibagh police station. A police official said that Farooq was placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence.
The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership, on Tuesday called for a strike on Thursday to protest the killing of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari and civilian deaths across Kashmir since Eid. Bukhari and two of his personal security officers were killed by three bike-borne men as he left his office in Srinagar’s Press Enclave on June 14.
The shutdown affected life in Srinagar and other towns, reported the Hindustan Times. Shops and educational institutions remained shut at most places. Rail services have been suspended as a precautionary step. Public transport remained off roads and thus attendance in banks, post offices and government offices was thin.
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