Majid Nabi
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Oct 31: To ensure hassle free elections in the Valley, separatist leaders who have been arrested for their 'election boycott campaign' are likely to remain in police 'lockup' till the elections are over.
Highly placed sources confirmed 'Early Times' that all the separatist leaders would remain in custody to ensure smooth and uninterrupted elections in the Valley.
"The top leaders and activists would remain in police custody till the elections are concluded in the valley and most probably they would be shifted to Srinagar Central jail in a day or two," a top police official told 'Early Times' on the basis of anonymity.
Pertinently, authorities on Thursday launched a massive valley wide crackdown against separatist leaders. Besides dozens of the activists some top leader's spearheading election boycott campaign has also been taken into police custody.
Police detained, JKLF Chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, Mohammad Abdullah Tari, Ayaz Akbar, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Zaffar Akbar Bhat while as Chairman, Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have been placed under house detention at his Hyderpora residence with contingents of police deployed outside.
The arrests come barely two days after the state police Chief, K Rajendra Kumar, said that anybody indulging in any subversive activity which could create law and order problems in the electoral process would be dealt with iron hands.
No sooner the Election Commission of India announced the five-phased Assembly polls in the state, the separatist leaders started gearing up for election boycott terming the exercise as "so-called electoral exercise" and urged the voters to stay away from it.
Various separatist leaders, including JKLF Chief Yasin Malik, said the announcement of election is an insult to the injuries of the flood-affected people of Kashmir. Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have also termed the elections as a futile exercise and urged people to stay away from the exercise.
About Malik's arrest, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Abdul Gani Mir, said no one shall be allowed to disrupt the poll process. He maintained that 'preventive action' has been taken and very strong action shall be initiated against all those elements who try to intimidate people. |
