Mirwaiz Umar Farooq shifted to ‘makeshift’ jail

Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Saturday was detained as he began walking towards the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps headquarters from his Hyderpora residence to present a letter, asking the Army to “stop violence” and “go home”.

Earlier, another key separatist leader and Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was shifted to a makeshift detention centre in the foothills of Zabarwan rage here from a city police station.

Sources said that the 43-year-old cleric and politician was “debriefed” by senior intelligence and police officials but, at the same time, they requested him to help the authorities in their effort to restore peace and normalcy in the Valley.

Mr Farooq was detained as he came out of his residence in Srinagar’s Nigeen area on Friday afternoon to march on City’s Eidgah grounds where the separatists planned to hold an “azaadi” rally. He was lodged at the nearby Nigeen police station but in the evening shifted to a cottage in the high-security Chashmashahi near the Raj Bhavan.

“We came to know about him having been shifted out of the police station at about 6pm but didn’t know where they have taken him. Late evening, the police officials asked us to give them some of his clothes and other personal belongings,” said a family member. “Later Mr Farooq spoke to us from his cellphone saying he is lodged in the Chashmashahi sub-jail. This was the last phone call that we received,” he added.

Mr Geelani and Mr Farooq recently met JKLF leader Muhammad Yasin Malik and formed an ‘issue-based’ loose alliance, which is issuing protest calendars following Wani’s killing. These call, in turn, are widely obeyed by people across the Valley. Mr Malik is lodged in Srinagar central prison and the JKLF has claimed that the government is trying to shift him to Delhi.

The Farooq-led faction of Hurriyat Conference strongly condemned his arrest. “It shows the government’s frustration and failure in dealing with the people’s revolt”, an amalgam spokesman said.

He added, “Illegally caging, confining and censoring the leadership is the standard response of the infamous regime as well as its predecessors to prevent them from leading the people and letting the truth of Kashmir be known. Such undemocratic and authoritarian measures will not deter us from representing and advocating the will and aspirations of people.”

Mr Geelani on Friday night announced that he will march towards the Army’s 15 Corps headquarters in Srinagar’s Badambagh cantonment on Saturday to present a letter to the Corps Commander Lt Gen Satish Dua.

He said that the copies of the letter would also be delivered to the Army, the Air Force and the Navy, BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF.

The letter said, “Even though your actions have killed one lakh people, disappeared ten thousand and orphaned more than sixty thousand children to subdue us collectively and to make us surrender our fundamental right of freedom, yet the emotion of love and reverence that martyrdom of Commander Burhan Wani mobilized across and beyond Kashmir, should open your eyes.” Titled “Quit Jammu Kashmir”, the letter also said, “We appeal and urge you to leave our land. Save your individual conscience and help your national soul with healing that only comes from acknowledgement and acceptance of truth, i.e. People of Jammu and Kashmir are not with India and will never be...Stop violence, go Home; Indian Soldiers, Go Home.”

Meanwhile, over two dozen people have been injured in fresh clashes with security forces in various parts of the Valley. One such face-off was witnessed in Hanjivera village outside Pattan town of north-western Baramulla district. Protests were reported also from Bugam and Bolsoo areas of southern Kulgam district.

The Marhama area of neighbouring Anantnag district witnessed massive protests after one of the three local youth who had jumped into River Jhelum while being chased by the CRPF during a protest on Friday died due to drowning. The locals said that during a clash three youth jumped into Jhelum “to escape their wrath” and that while two of them swam to safety the third identified as 24-year-old Shahnawaz Khatana drowned. His body was fished out of the river on Saturday.

CRPF spokesman Rajeshwar Yadav termed the incident as “unfortunate.” But he also said, “May be the CRPF jawans were chasing the youth but they didn’t push them in river. We didn’t catch anybody and then pushed him in the river. They themselves jumped into the river and before doing that they should have also thought if they know swimming or not.” He appealed the Kashmiri youth to “stay away from stone-pelting pastime and pay attention to their studies.”

A statement issued by the police in the evening, however, said that barring five incidents of stone pelting in Anantnag, Shopian and Bandipora, overall situation remained peaceful and under control across the Valley ‘till filing of this report’. Srinagar continued to remain under curfew on the 50th day on Saturday. Curfew was in force also in southern towns of Anantnag, Pulwama and Pampore whereas security restrictions under Section 144 CrPC were enforced elsewhere in the Valley.

A complete shutdown was observed by Muslim traders in Jammu region’s frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch against the civilian killings in the Valley. All the shops and other businesses and educational institutions of Muslim community remained closed where transport services were also disrupted.