Geelani, Mirwaiz Arrested While Marching to ‘Martyrs’ Graveyard’

The separatist leaders were arrested following Hurriyat leadership’s call for a march on Martyrs’ day.

Geelani and Mirwaiz were arrested trying to break their house arrest. (Photo: The Hindu)

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were arrested on Wednesday. The arrests were made when they were trying to march to the Martyrs’ graveyard breaking their house detention, police said.

However, both were released after a few hours and were put back in house detention at their respective residences.

The Hurriyat leadership had called for a march on Wednesday to the graveyard at Naqshbandh Sahib in Srinagar.

Geelani, 87, was arrested when he came out of his barricaded Hyderpora residence and tried to walk towards the graveyard. Mirwaiz, who tried to jump over the fence of his residence at Nigeen in Srinagar, was also arrested.

Martyrs’ Day in Kashmir is observed on 13 July to mark the martyrdom of 21 people killed on13 July 1931. Earlier, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and her predecessor Omar Abdullah visited the graveyard to pay tributes to the people killed in 1931.