SRINAGAR: The PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday foiled separatists’ leaders plan to stage a sit-in in front of National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in New Delhi against NIA raids in the Valley by placing the separatists under preventive custody.
JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was arrested by police from his Maisuma residence in uptown Srinagar this morning.
“The State police chief had said yesterday that they would allow us (separatists) to visit New Delhi to stage dharna in front of NIA headquarters there and court arrest. I was released yesterday from central jail, Srinagar and again arrested today to prevent us from staging dharna at NIA headquarters,” Malik told reporters while being arrested by police.
Malik was lodged at Central Jail, Srinagar.
Police also placed under house arrest moderate separatist leader and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at his Nageen residence.
The hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani is also under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence in outskirts of Srinagar.
Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik had announced that they would visit New Delhi today and stage protest in front of NIA headquarters there and court arrest to protest “unjustifiable NIA raids and vilification of Kashmiri people by the investigation agency.”
The three leaders had booked air tickets for Delhi and were scheduled to leave for national capital at around 3 pm.
The NIA has arrested seven separatist leaders including close aides of Geelani and Mirwaiz, Jammu lawyer, a leading Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali and two alleged stone pelters during its ongoing probe into militancy and separatist funding in Jammu and Kashmir.
The authorities also imposed curfew-like restrictions in parts of volatile down town Srinagar to prevent youth from staging protests.
Meanwhile, Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik in a joint statement condemned the government from stopping them from courting arrest at NIA headquarters in New Delhi.
“By stopping the leaders from courting arrest and creating a law and order bogey, the government has exposed itself,” they said.
They called on NIA to end harassment of Kashmiri people and leaders saying, “It has become quite evident that along with brute military force, the Indian government is deploying all its institutions to crush the movement of Kashmiris.”
“For last three months, NIA is conducting raids, arresting people and issuing notices to intimidate and instill fear among the masses. Besides, an all out propaganda campaign to defame and malign Kashmiri leadership and peoples’ political struggle is being aggressively pursued by electronic print and social media,” they said.
“Let it be known to all that Kashmiri leadership is ready to face every hardship for the sake of peoples’ movement. There is no question that we can be pressurized to move away from the path of seeking justice and resolution of the Kashmir dispute,” added Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik.