Srinagar: The authorities on Saturday placed separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest and also sealed the headquarters of his faction of Hurriyat Conference to hold back a one-day workers session of the amalgam.
A police official said that the steps were taken to “prevent breach of peace”.
However, the Mirwaiz complained that the authorities were denying him a political space and that there is no scope to any political activity in Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding governor Satya Pal Malik’s claim to the contrary.
Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter.com, the Mirwaiz said, “One day #Hurriyat workers /delegate session barred! Put again under #HouseArrest! Rajbagh office of Hurriyat sealed!”
Not allowed any space or scope for any political activity! So much for practising honest democracy Governor sahab !”
Meanwhile, ‘Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL)’, an alliance of key separatist leaders including the Mirwaiz, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Muhammad Yasin Malik, has asked the people of the state to observe human rights week from December 3 by holding candlelight vigils to highlight the “grave” human rights violations in Kashmir, coinciding with the World Human Rights Day which is observed on December 10. “The freedom-loving people of Kashmir are appealed to lit candles and torch lights outside the mosques and on the roads in their localities, towns and villages after evening prayers and also wear black bands on their arms from December 3 to December 9 to mirror the grave human rights situation and seek international attention towards it,” a statement issued by it here on Monday said.
It also urged the members of civil society, the lawyers’ association, traders, government employees, transporters and political, social and religious organisations to hold protests during the week to highlight the human rights situation prevailing in Kashmir.
The alliance also said that on the occasion of World Human Rights Day it seeks intervention of Amnesty International, Asia Watch and the International Committee of the Red Cross towards ensuring an end to rights violations in Kashmir.
