Police on Friday detained Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq and President of J&K Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian, Aga Syed Hassan Almosvi Alsafvi after they tried to lead a protest march towards Eidgah while a senior Hurriyat (M) leader, Masroor Ansari was detained from his home to prevent him from leading a march, called by separatist leadership.The separatist leadership including Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement had called for Eidgah chalo today and had appealed people to make the call successful.However, police detained Geelani and Mirwaiz outside of their respective residential houses and lodged them into preventive custody in Police Station Humhama and Nigeen respectively while JKLF chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik who was also scheduled to march towards Eidgah continued to languish in police custody since July 9.According to a Hurriyat (G) leader, amid pro-freedom slogans, Geelani defied the curfew and stepped out from his Hyderpora residence to lead a protest towards Eidgah. “Police however foiled the march and detained him outside of his residence at Airport road. He was taken into the custody,” he said.
Soon after his arrest, Hurriyat (M) chairman also defied the curfew at his Nigeen residence and tried to march towards Eidgah.Nonetheless, police deployed outside his residence stopped him from marching towards Eidgah. “Mirwaiz was detained outside of his house and was taken into the custody,” Hurriyat (M) spokesman said.President of J&K Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian and senior Hurriyat leader Aga Syed Hassan Almosvi Alsafvi was detained by police while he was leading a march towards Eidgah Srinagar. “By detaining people’s representatives and religious leaders, India can gain nothing. This exercise, too, will prove futile and harmful in the long run,” Aga said in a statement issued to KNS.Prior to this, both the leaders were similarly arrested after they tried to move towards Anantnag on July 25, Kulgam on July 27, Jamia Masjid on July 29, Dargah on August 05 and Mazaar-e-Shuhada on August 12. “The leaders were taken into preventive custody for hours and were later released,” reports said.
Besides foiling leaderships march, police detained Hurriyat (M) leader Masroor Ansari from his home to prevent him from leading a march to Eidgah in Srinagar.Reports said that a police party raided the leader's home at around noon today and took him away, said a spokesman.Ansari was scheduled to take out a rally after Friday prayers. He was lodged at police station Safa Kadal. Meanwhile, as soon as the Friday congregation ended in local Masjid at Chinkral Mohalla Habba Kadal, people in the locality assembled outside the Masjid and tried to march towards Eidgah.However witnesses said that police didn’t allow the protesters to march towards the venue while the protesters later marched towards Baba Demb and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
Hundreds of people mostly youth participated in the rally, which as per witnesses later dispersed peacefully.The separatist leadership have been issuing protest programmes from past several weeks and had called for Eidgah chalo on today.However, the state administration by imposing strict curfew and restriction across the Valley foiled the march called the leadership. “Forces sealed all the entry and exit points of the roads leading towards Eidgah by erecting concertina wires,” witnesses said. Notably, the leadership started issuing strike programmes in view of the civilian killings that took place during the protests against the killing Hizb commander, Burhan Wani in a ‘gunfight’ on July 8 in Bumdoora village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. (KNS)