J&K Police ‘Thwarts’ Alleged Revival of Separatist Movement in Kashmir

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police said it had thwarted an alleged attempt by several persons to revive the separatist movement in the region by arresting a group from a hotel in Srinagar on Saturday.

Sources privy to the development said that over three dozen individuals were detained for questioning during the raid. The Srinagar police in a tweet claimed that they detained individuals who were holding a meeting to revive banned outfit Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and the Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of a dozen odd separatist outfits based in the valley.

“A search was conducted on the basis of credible information about the meeting of some ex-terrorists of JKLF and erstwhile separatists in a hotel in Srinagar. They were brought to Kothibagh police station for verification. Inquiry has started, prima facie it came out that they were planning to revive JKLF and Hurriyat,” the police tweeted.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in a statement issued on Monday, however, clarified that those who attended this purported lunch had gone in their individual capacity, not as members of Hurriyat.

“It was not a Hurriyat event nor was the Hurriyat leadership aware of it. In fact, it is through the media that Hurriyat came to know about it. So, to attribute motives to Hurriyat in this regard is mere speculation and totally baseless,” the APHC said. 

The entire top Hurriyat leadership has been arrested and most of their activities have been restricted in view of the crackdown in the aftermath of abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A. The JKLF, led by incarcerated leader Yasin Malik, was banned following the 2019 Pulwama attack that claimed lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel along with socio-political organisation Jamaat-e-Islami also accused of providing ideological cushion to the militancy in the region.

Several religious groups have condemned the arrests and urged the authorities to release the individuals, they believed, were only attending a “social gathering”.

A municipal councillor from Srinagar Aga Syed Mohammad Hussaini expressing his concerns over the detention of one of the Shia leaders Masroor Abbas Ansari, believed to be among the detained.

“The detention of Hujatul Islam Jenab Molvi Masroor Abass Ansari sb is deeply worrisome. I implore the administration to promptly address this matter and ensure his immediate release, alleviating the concerns of his family, relatives and supporters,” Hussaini tweeted.