Mirwaiz under house arrest ahead of PM visit

Separatist Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on Wednesday placed under house arrest, while several others were taken into preventive custody to foil their plan of holding a rally parallel to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s in the city on Saturday.

Police said second-rung leaders such as Abdul Manan Bukhari of Hurriyat and Noor Mohammad Kalwal of JKLF were taken into preventive custody. A total of 100 separatist leaders and activists have been taken into preventive custody to ensure that the PM’s rally on November 7 is hassle-free.

Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for a parallel rally on November 7. His call has been backed by almost all separatist groups in the Valley. Modi will be visiting Kashmir for a day, during which he will address a rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium.