| Police launch massive crackdown to foil separatists' anti-poll propaganda | | For smooth poll process, Malik, Shah, Khan among dozens detained on day 1 | | Javaid Naikoo
Srinagar, Oct 30: To thwart all sorts of anti-election programmes of separatists, police today launched a massive crackdown against separatists of varied factions across Kashmir to let the process of polling go smoothly in Kashmir.
After Election Commission of India (ECI) announced Assembly poll dates in the recent past, separatist factions led by Yaseen Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabir Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other factions active in Kashmir immediately started issuing notices of election boycott and started their anti-poll campaign.
Taking cognizance of their anti-election propaganda, police today initiated a massive drive against separatist leaders and detained dozens of them, including Yaseen Malik who runs Liberation Front, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and Mohammad Yousuf Naqash.
Police also detained Ayaz Akbar, Moulana Tari and dozens of Muslim League (ML) activists, including Feroz Ahmad Khan, Bashir Ahmad Wani, Hakeem Showkat, Asadullah Parray and Mairaj Din Nanda. Police were looking for another ML leader Abdul Ahad Parra, according to police sources.
Police parties also raided the office of JKLF at Abhi Guzar, Srinagar, and detained the outfit's advocate Bashir Ahmad Bhat and Ghulam Rasool Dar from there. In similar raids in other parts of Kashmir, police detained many other activists of separatist outfits.
Sources said police had also detained dozens of activists from North and South Kashmir. Some of them included Saifudin Mir of Kupwara, Habib Ullah of Kupwara, Mohammad Amin Ahangar of Shopian and Mohammad Amin Parray of Pulwama.
Sources said separatists active in North and South Kashmir had also been warned to shun their anti-election programmes and report in their respective police stations right before upcoming assembly election process commenced in the state.
Hardliner separatist Syed Ali Geelani who also issued election boycott notice would be barred from all types of anti-elections programmes from today. He would also not be allowed to meet people and issue protest calendars of any sort, according to sources.
The administration has already slapped sixth consecutive Public Safety Act (PSA) on hardline separatist and chairman of his own faction (ML), Masarat Alam Bhat who is considered to be the mastermind of 2010 trouble in Kashmir. He was arrested in October 2010 and so far had served five consecutive PSAs after Supreme Court directed the state authorities to inform the accused a week before if it "slaps another PSA on him". |
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