Geelani associates arrested in Kashmir

Srinagar, Apr 26 (UNI) Several associates of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, including breakaway Hurriyat Conference acting chairman Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi, were arrested minutes before they were to address a news conference here.

Police said Mr Sumjhi, Muslim League chairman Masarat Alam, Democratic Political Movement president Firdous Ahmed Shah, Mohammed Yaseen Attaie, Mehraj-ud-Din Kalwal and Mohammed Shafi Lone were arrested under sections 13 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Act.

They said a First Information Report (FIR), number 70/2007, was lodged in the Safa Kadal police station on April 22 against Mr Geelani and others.

As Mr Sumjhi and others gathered at Ahadoos Hotel here at 1230 hrs this afternoon to address the news conference, police swooped down on the venue and arrested the hardline separatist leaders.

As the leaders were prevented from addressing the news conference, they shouted anti-India and pro-freedom slogans before being forced into the police vehicles.

The arrests apparently came in the wake of the controversial rally organised here on April 22 on the return of Mr Geelani from New Delhi where he was recuperating following his kidney surgery at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in Mumbai on March 26.

A section of media had reported that militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen were present in the public meeting at Eidgah. It was alleged that the flags of the two militant outfits were raised at the rally.

Both police and the Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference denied the charges.

However, police had lodged the FIR against Mr Geelani and others under section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Act for raising anti- India slogans and launched investigations into the entire episode.

The separatist leaders were to brief the media on the recent developments on Kashmir and also present the ''facts'' about the controversial rally.

UNI