One Hurriyat Activist Held for Engineering Violence in Kashmir Valley

One of the two activists of the hardline Hurriyat Conference, who were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to foment violence in the Kashmir Valley and to get some 10 to 15 persons killed in a procession, have been taken into custody today, said media reports.

Following intercepting a conversation with his accomplice Ghulam Ahmed Dar, police arrested Shabir Ahmed Wani, district President of Hurriyat conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, from Narbal-Magam road, reports said.

According to reports, the two were discussing ways to engineer trouble during a procession which was taken out in Budgam district of central Kashmir, said reports.

Reports said that Wani was booked under various provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code and may be charged under the stringent Public Safety Act, under which he can be detained for two years.

Police has launched a man hunt to nab Dar, who had gone into hiding immediately after the conversation was made public, reports said.

Involvement of hardline separatists in engineering some of the violence in the Kashmir Valley was indicated by the intercepted conversation between the two of them during which they discussed the killing of at least 15 people in a procession near Srinagar on July 7.

A large procession had started in Budgam district on the outskirts of Srinagar in the evening and two senior office-bearers of the hardline Hurriyat faction discussed how to utilise it to create casualties, according to the transcript of the conversation available with the Union Home Ministry.

According to the transcript, one of the office-bearers, Dar, was heard telling Wani, that a procession of nearly 20,000 people had started from Magam and was going towards Budgam and that at least 10 to 15 people should be ‘martyred’ as the crowd moved.

However, the police had dispersed the procession with a mild cane charge and no untoward incident had taken place.

(Based on internet reports)