Yasin Malik detained, Hurriyat chairman under house arrest

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik was on Thursday detained while moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest to prevent the separatists from leading protests, police said.

Malik was taken into custody from his Maisuma residence this morning, a police official said.

He said Malik has been lodged in police station Kothibagh. The official said Mirwaiz was placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence.

Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani continued to remain under house detention.

The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), on Tuesday called for a protest strike for on Thursday against the killing of civilians allegedly in security forces firing recently and the killing of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari.

Shops, public transport, other businesses and educational institutions remained shut at most places while attendance in banks, post offices and government offices was thin due to the non-availability of public transport.

Private transport and some three wheelers, however, moved in uptown areas of Srinagar.

Reports from other cities and towns in the Valley also indicate that the shutdown derailed normal life there too.

Rail services have been suspended as a precaution.

SRINAGAR: