Geelani still under house arrest in Srinagar

Srinagar: Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali shah Geelani remained under house arrest since last evening.
The authorities have barred Mr Shah Geelani from visiting Shopian town in south Kashmir today, apprehending breach of peace.
“Following the orders of District Magistrate Srinagar, Geelani will not be allowed to move towards Shopian town tomorrow,” a police spokesman said here last evening.
A spokesman of the Hurriyat Aiyaz Akbar said a large number of CRPF and State police personnel remained deployed outside Hyderpora residence of amalgam Chairman, who has been informed that he has been put under house arrest.
He said Mr Geelani had gone to Gangabugh, Batmaloo, yesterday when a senior police officer put him in a police jeep and dropped him at his residence, where he was put later under house arrest.
Mr Geelani was scheduled to visit Shopian, 55 km from here, today to lead a rally as part of a protest programme.
He said during the past three Fridays Mr Geelani was allowed to offer prayers in mosques.
However, police spokesman said it has been observed on a number of previous occasions that whenever Mr Geelani visited a public place, incidents of stone pelting and disruption in peace were reported.
He said on April 22, when he visited Baramulla town of north Kashmir and on May 6, when he visited Batamaloo in Central Srinagar, stone pelting incidents were reported which disrupted the peace in these areas, besides injuring a number of persons and damage to property.
Mr Geelani had called for a general strike tomorrow in protest against the alleged arrests of youths and continued detention of detenues in different jails and interrogation centres. (UNI)