Srinagar, Mar 4: Protests erupted in Batamaloo area of Srinagar city on Friday against the detention of two separatist leaders hailing from the area.
Eyewitnesses told Greater Kashmir that scores of youth raising pro-freedom slogans took to streets after Friday prayers to protest the detention of Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi and Mushtaq-ul-Islam. The duo was arrested two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat district president Raja Mehrajuddin was arrested by police from Telbal area of the city.
The spokesman of Hurriyat (G), Ayaz Akbar, said that police arrested Raja when he was offering Friday prayers at a Masjid.
He further said that Geelani was not allowed to offer Friday prayers today as “he continued to remain under house arrest after arrival from New Delhi yesterday.”
 The Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmed Shah was detained by police in south Kashmir’s Shopain district, a handout issued by the party said.
 “Shah had to stage dharna against arrests in Valley, but was held by police,” a spokesman of the party said.
 Talking to Greater Kashmir, senior superintendent of police Srinagar, Ashiq Bukhari, said that Mehrajuddin was wanted in many cases of fomenting trouble last year.
 “There was no protest in Batamaloo and only a few small children took to streets,” he said.
 Superintendent of police Shopian, Mumtaz Ahmed, said that Shabir Shah was not arrested. “He was taken into preventive custody to prevent law and order problem,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 5 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST