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Separatist Masarat Alam arrested in Kashmir

Buckling under pressure from alliance partner BJP, the PDP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir today arrested separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat in connection with the raising of Pakistani flags during a rally here on Wednesday.

“Bhat has been arrested in the case registered in police station Budgam in connection with the provocative actions during the rally on Wednesday,” a senior police officer said.

The 45-year-old hardline separatist leader, who was placed under house arrest late last night, was arrested from his home in Habbakadal area of the city early this morning and taken to police station Shaheed Gunj, the officer said.

As he was being led away by police, Bhat said his arrest was nothing new as “Jammu and Kashmir is being ruled on the might of power.”

“Raising of Pakistani flags and chanting pro-freedom slogans is nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been happening since 1947,” he said.

The arrest comes hours ahead of Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s call for a march to Tral area of Pulwama district where two youth were killed in an anti-militancy operation on Monday. While the local residents allege that the duo were killed in fake encounter, the army is maintaining that they were militants and killed in a gunbattle.

Police had registered a case against several separatist leaders including Bhat and Geelani for provocative activities including hoisting of Pakistani flag.

“An FIR has been registered against Geelani, Bhat, Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Peer Saifullah and other separatist leaders for provocative activities and hoisting Pakistani flag in Hyderpora,” a police spokesman said.

“FIR No 92/2015 under sections 13 Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting), 341 (causing injury), 336 (attacking govt employee), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs. 50 or more) of RPC was registered in Police Station Budgam and investigation into the matter has been taken up,” he said.

Bhat, who was released by the PDP-led government last month after spending over four years in jail under Public Saftey Act, said there has been no change in the policy of the state government despite a change in the regime.

“I had said at the time of my release that there is no change in policy with the change in regime. This is the way they curb peaceful protests,” he added.

Alam’s release had created a furore across the country and the issue had even figured in Parliament proceedings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a statement on the floor of the house.

The waving of Pakistani flags and chanting of anti-India slogans at the rally orgainsed to welcome Geelani on Wednesday renewed calls for Bhat’s rearrest by the BJP, coalition partner of PDP in the state government.

Meanwhile, police officials said they will not allow any march to Tral town in order to maintain law and order in the area.

Masarat Alam arrested over Pakistan flag hoisting row

Hurriyat leader Masarat Alam was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday morning at his home in Srinagar.

“(Alam) has been arrested in the case registered in police station Budgam in connection with the provocative actions during the rally on Wednesday,” a senior police officer said.

The separatist leader, who was placed under house arrest late Thursday, was taken to the Shaheed Gunj police station after the arrest, the officer said.

Mr. Alam, along with fellow Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Pir Saiffulah, was booked under the UAPA for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and waving the country’s flag at a rally on Wednesday.

Mr. Alam on Thursday said that he had not hoisted a Pakistan flag himself which, he said, was held by some others in the crowd.

Eyewitnesses and police sources told The Hindu that Mr. Alam did not in fact unfurl any Pakistan flag during the rally.

Mr. Alam was released last month in the BJP-PDP government after an incarceration of four and a half years under a string of consecutive Public Safety Act cases.

A senior police official told The Hindu that Mr. Alam would be the only resistance leader to be arrested over the flag row.

“The media wanted Alam to be arrested and the BJP sternly told Mufti Sayeed that they wanted him arrested, and the State government instructed us to arrest him,” a senior police official told The Hindu. “Alam in fact did not raise any flags. On the footage of the rally with the police, he does not raise the flag but shouts pro-Pakistan slogans.”

As he was being led away by police, Mr. Alam said his arrest was nothing new as “Jammu and Kashmir is being ruled on the might of power”.

“Raising of Pakistani flags and chanting pro-freedom slogans is nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been happening since 1947,” he said.

The Hurriyat had called for a “Tral Chalo” rally for Friday to protests the killing of a 24-year-old civilian by the Army in an alleged gun battle earlier in the week. Police and CRPF have been deployed and restrictions have been put in place to foil the march.

Late on Thursday Mr. Alam and Mr. Geelani were put under house arrest to prevent them from leading a rally to Tral.

Violence in Srinagar

Meanwhile, pitched battles were fought on the streets of Srinagar on Friday afternoon when supporters of the Hurriyat Conference clashed with police resulting in injury to about a dozen people, including two policemen.

Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces soon after the Friday prayers concluded at the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of the city. Reports of stone-pelting were also received from Tral and adjoining areas.

Young men with clothes wrapped on their faces were seen hurling stones at the police who fired teargas shells to break up the march.

As Srinagar was on the boil, the Centre said it was keeping a close watch on the situation and asserted there will be “zero tolerance” to militancy and separatism.