Srinagar: Several Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leaders and activists were detained by the police on Saturday in Srinagar after they attempted to take out a protest rally towards Lal Chowk.
Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was detained after he defied house arrest and attempted to march towards Lal Chowk to protest the visit of Narendra Modi to the state.
Joint Resistance Leadership of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have called for a march to Lal Chowk today to protest the Modi’s visit.
The JKLF spokesperson said its leaders and activists gathered near Budshah Chowk and tried to march towards Lal Chowk, but policemen already deployed there prevented them from marching ahead.
He said scores of activists and leaders were detained by the police on the occasion. They were shifted to Kothi Bagh police station, he said.
Moreover the forces sealed Lal Chowk in order to prevent people from protesting. Barricades manned by contingents of police and paramilitary personnel were placed along all the roads, including lanes and bylanes, to thwart the proposed march.
“Kashmir has been turned into a military state. We were planning to hold a peaceful rally at Lal Chowk. The cost of conflict is rising with the day. Yesterday, eleven people were killed at the border. Modi should resolve the Kashmir dispute,” Mirwaiz said.
On Friday, during his sermon, Mirwaiz had said that the proposed rally of the Joint Resistance Leadership must be allowed so that Modi can hear the ‘Man ki baat’ of the people of Kashmir.
Earlier, mobile Internet service was snapped across Kashmir valley in the wake of Modi’s visit. Both the high and low-speed mobile Internet services were snapped shortly after midnight. However, low speed service was restored on some networks later in the day.
