Police arrested Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chief Yasin Malik on Monday in Srinagar to foil separatists’ march towards the Army headquarters to protest against the killing of seven civilians during the Pulwama operation on Saturday.

Mr. Malik, who had gone underground, was detained by a team of policemen when the separatist and his supporters alighted near Srinagar’s Gaw Kadal area and started a march towards the Badamibagh area. The area houses the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps and is just seven km away from the spot. Mr. Malik and his supporters were wearing white dresses with a slogan: “Kill us all.”

Mirwaiz condemns

In a separate crackdown, the police arrested the Mirwaiz outside his residence at Srinagar’s Naseembagh. “It is preposterous to brand civilians as overground workers and terrorists. The Government of India has overplayed the terrorist, Pakistan proxy and instigators card. The world sees ever growing graph of atrocities and massacres of Kashmiris, who are only asking for a just and peaceful resolution of the dispute,” said the Mirwaiz.

Syed Ali Geelani, chairman of a Hurriyat faction, was also placed under house arrest.

In Jammu, Peoples Democratic Party leaders, including Yawar Mir, Firdous Tak and Aijaz Mir, held a demonstration inside the Civil Secretariat and demanded an “end to the bloodshed.”

Roads sealed

The authorities sealed all the roads leading to the Army headquarters and imposed restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles in the old city and south Kashmir’s Pulwama, in the wake of the separatists’ call.

The shutdown affected the life for third consecutive day on Monday in the Valley. Tension surged after three militants and seven civilians were left dead in the Army operation in Pulwama on Saturday.

Police’s claim

Locals alleged civilians were killed hours after the operation was called off and “were targeted deliberately during clashes.” The police said the “mob came dangerously close” to the security forces engaged in the operation near the encounter site. It was the highest civilian casualties near an encounter site this year.

The State Human Rights Commission has asked the security agencies to submit “a factual report on Pulwama incident.”