- Geelani, Mirwaiz, Shah under house arrest
- Friday prayers disallowed at Jamia Masjid
- 4 youth injured in Sopore clashes, 3 in Palhalan
Police on Friday sealed Lal Chowk area of Srinagar and imposed stringent curbs in many downtown areas while disallowing congregational prayers at historic Jamia Masjid here to foil the ‘UN office march’ called by Kashmir’s joint resistance leadership. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, who had gone into hiding earlier this week, appeared at Dastgeer Sahab (RA) shrine at Sarai Bala here to lead a protest but was arrested and shifted to Central Jail Srinagar while the Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was disallowed to proceed towards Jamia Masjid where he was supposed to lead the march to UN office at Sonwar here. The Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani continued to remain under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence.
Witnesses said heavy deployment of forces was made early on Friday across Lal Chowk and Sonwar where the UN office is situated. A policeman standing guard at Sonwar said they were deployed at 4 am and directed to divert traffic from an alternate route.
At Sonwar, barely few meters away from the UN office, police had erected barricades and no vehicle was allowed to move towards Dalgate side. Witnesses said barbed wire was placed near Radio Kashmir and Residency Road. “There were barricades and rolls of concertina wire placed at Clock Tower (Ghanta Ghar) in Lal Chowk amid heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces. Security vehicles were also placed in middle of roads near Dalgate and Lal Chowk to ensure no movement of people and private vehicles takes place,” they said.
Due to the curbs in place, Lal Chowk witnessed very thin movement of private transport while shops remained closed during the day. Similar restrictions remained in place in Maisuma area of Civil Lines.
Witnesses from old Srinagar said heavy deployment of forces was made on almost all roads there to ensure no procession takes place.
“Police and CRPF personnel made several rounds of Jamia Masjid area in Nowhatta to ensure no one reaches there,” witnesses said.
Forces personnel were seen standing guard outside the main gate of the Jamia Masjid.
Witnesses said curbs remained in place at Nawa Kadal, Khanyar, Hawal, Gojwara and many adjoining areas.
Pertinently, the joint resistance leadership—including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yaseen Malik—had asked people to march towards UN office in Sonwar to press for the demand of return of mortal remains of Muhammad Afzal Guru and Muhammad Maqbool Bhat to their families.
Police disallowed Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid and revered shrine of Syed Yaqoob Sahab (RA) at Sonwar, reports and witnesses said.
Hurriyat Conference (M) spokesman strongly condemned the “deployment of forces on all sides” of Jamia Masjid while a caretaker of Syed Sahab (RA) shrine at Sonwar said “only few people, most of them from the Shrine Management, offered prayers at Syed Sahab (RA) Sonwar today.”
Yaseen Malik Arrested
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, who had gone into hiding earlier this week, appeared at shrine of Dastgeer Sahab (RA) at Sarai Bala. As Malik, along with dozens of JKLF leaders, came out of the shrine to lead a protest march towards the UN office, policemen outside immediately swung into action and whisked him away along with other Front activists.
Talking to media-persons before being arrested, the JKLF chairman said according to the UN Charter, whosoever is awarded the capital punishment, his body is supposed to be handed over to his relatives. “In the cases of Muhammad Maqbool Bhat and Muhammad Afzal Guru, the rule of the law wasn’t followed. Denying them a proper burial and a chance of last meeting with their kith and kin and confiscating their mortal remains is a testimony of a fake democracy. Disallowing mourning and peaceful protests for demanding mortal remains of Bhat and Guru is undemocratic,” Malik said.
He said today’s peaceful protest was organized to reiterate the demand of return of mortal remains of Bhat and Guru who were hanged and buried inside the Tihar Jail in New Delhi.
“A blanket ban has been put on every peaceful protest and even mourning and even demanding mortal remains of those hanged has been barred. Such is the suffocation imposed by police on political activities that I had to go into hiding four days before to lead today’s protest. How can a country (and its leaders) call itself the biggest democracy when it is not allowing voices of dissent, and (is) suppressing people’s voices by military and police might,” Malik asked, urging the international community, especially the United Nations, to impress upon Indian rulers to hand over the mortal remains of Guru and Bhat to their families.
A JKLF spokesman said Malik was first lodged in police station Kothibagh and then shifted to Central Jail Srinagar on a judicial remand till February 15.
“Other leaders who were also shifted to the Central Jail include Muhammad Yasin Butt, Ghulam Muhammad Dar and Gazi Javed Baba,” the spokesman said.
Geelani, Mirwaiz, Shah under house arrest
Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under arrest early on Friday morning at his Nigeen residence here.
According to the Hurriyat (M) spokesman, advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Mirwaiz was supposed to lead a protest march from Jamia Masjid to UN office at Sonwar. “He was placed under house arrest at 8:45 am,” Islam said.
In a statement, Mirwaiz strongly denounced “siege” of Jamia Masjid and sealing of all roads leading to it to stop people from marching towards the UN office.
“Time and again, banning Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid and turning the entire area into a gigantic concentration camp of forces shows the dictatorial approach of the ruling class and their fear of public anger and defiance against the state repression,” Mirwaiz said. “Efforts to silence and gag every institution of public expression including Masjids are part of the state policy to crush dissent. The pulpit of Jamia Masjid Srinagar, being the strongest votary of people’s aspirations and sentiments, is always the main target of the State. Such tactics will always fail.”
Paying glowing tributes to Muhammad Maqbool Bhat and Muhammad Afzal Guru on their anniversaries, the Hurriyat (M) chairman said Kashmir would never forget the selfless sacrifices of these great sons of the soil and other tens and thousands of martyrs who have laid their life for the rights of people of Kashmir.
“Great sacrifices offered by the people of Kashmir seeking the resolution of Kashmir as per internationally-accepted norms and in accordance with the will and aspirations of the people and also for seeking justice had attracted international attention to the vexed humanitarian issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, dozens of Hurriyat leaders and activists have been either placed under house arrest or lodged in jails, reports said on Friday.
Clashes In Sopore
Soon after culmination of Friday prayers, scores of youth took to streets amid pro- Guru and pro-Maqbool slogans in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Reports said youth after offering prayers at Jamia Masjid Sopore resorted to massive sloganeering.
“They tried to take out a protest march from Jamia Masjid but were stopped by the forces at Main Bazaar, leading to clashes. The forces fired dozens of tear-gas shells and pellets to disperse the protestors and in the forces’ action, four youth sustained injuries,” witnesses said.
3 Injured In Palhallan
Three persons were injured during clashes in Palhallan this afternoon. Local residents alleged that police ransacked a gym centre ‘Lifeline’ during clashes in the area.
