SRINAGAR: Indian Police arrested JKLF chairman Yasin Malik today as hetried to take out a protest march against the killings of civilians inclashes with security forces.
Separatist leaders have called for a strike on the issue tomorrow.
Mailk was detained as he tried to take out the protest march from the headoffice of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in Abi Guzar towardsLal Chowk city centre here, a police official said.
He said several other activists of the JKLF and other separatist outfitswere also detained by the police.
The protest was organised by the separatists under the banner of JointResistance Leadership (JRL) against the killings of civilians in Kulgam andin support of the demand for hanging of those involved in therape-and-murder of an eight-year-old nomad girl in Kathua.
Addressing a press conference before taking out the march, Malik said theJRL — comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Malik –had resolved to fight for ensuring justice to the victim.
“We demand all the accused should be hanged,” he said.
Earlier, Geelani and the Mirwaiz addressed the rally telephonically andcondemned the incident of lawyers in Kathua trying to prevent the CrimeBranch from filing the charge sheet in the rape-and-murder case.
The separatists also condemned the killings of three civilians in theclashes with security forces in Khudwani area of Kulgam district in southKashmir.
An Army jawan was killed during a gunbattle with militants in Kulgamdistrict and three civilians, including two teenagers, died in clashesbetween locals and security forces that followed, officials said.
The separatists have called for a strike and peaceful protests tomorrowafternoon.
“There will be a complete strike in Kashmir tomorrow and people willobserve a blackout by switching off lights of their houses in the evening.People across the valley will also assemble after Zuhr (afternoon prayers)in their respective mohallas and protest till the evening against thekillings,” Malik told reporters.
Meanwhile, JNU student leader Shehla Rashid Shora, along with others, helda peaceful sit-in at Pratap Park here, demanding the shifting of the Kathuarape case in view of protests by lawyers there.