Separatists detained, Srinagar under virtual curfew to foil 'Sopore Chalo'

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, June 18: In an unenviable scenario for it, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government has put half of the summer capital under undeclared curfew on the very first day and the first Friday of the holy month of Ramzan even as all the prominent separatist leaders have been put under detention to foil their programme of a mass march to Sopore.

Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmad Lone told State Times that "restrictions to movement" have been imposed in areas falling under the jurisdiction of six Police Stations in downtown and Maisuma. He said that the prohibitory orders would be relaxed in the afternoon so as to facilitate passage of the Muslims for performing congregational prayers at different mosques.

Dr Lone confirmed reports that almost all the prominent separatist leaders had been put under detention either at their respective residences or in different Police Stations. He said that the prohibitory orders and detention of the separatist leaders had become necessary in order to foil their programme of a mass march to Sopore. Both factions of Hurriyat Conference, besides Yasin Malik's JKLF and Shabir Shah's Democratic Freedom Party have suported the call which came in the wake of six civilian killings, one after another, in the last three weeks in Sopore.

Separatists, remarkably the hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have alleged that the assassins were affiliated to the "Indian secret agencies" even as a nondescript group "Lashkar-e-Islam" has owned up the bloody campaign against those who defied its diktat of the total closedown of mobile telephony. Government has held "a breakaway group of Hizbul Mujahideen" responsible and announced cash reward of Rs 20 lakh for the arrest of the two prominent Hizbul Mujahideen militants Qayoom Najar and Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, both residents of Sopore.

Meanwhile according to a local news agency, a formidable militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed on Thursday that it had identified the killers of the six civilians. It alleged that the killers were operating on behalf of the Indian agencies and threatened that they would soon "feel the heat".

Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Chairman of the moderate faction Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Aga Syed Hassan and over a dozen others have been placed under "house arrest". Those picked up and detained in Police Stations at different places include JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, DFP chief Shabir Shah, National Front head Nayeem Khan, Mirwaiz Umar’s aide Shahidul Islam and others.

Reports from North Kashmir said that restrictions were also imposed in the apple town of Sopore even as no such order had been imposed in Baramulla.

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