Jammu: Separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat had on Thursday denied waving Pakistani flagat a rally organised to welcome his seniorSyed Ali Shah Geelani in Srinagar, but said it was a representation of the feelings, aspirations and sentiments of the people across Kashmir.
Hurriyat leader Masarat Alam was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday morning at his home in Srinagar. he has been arrested in the case registered in police station Budgam in connection with the provocative actions during the rally on Wednesday,” a senior police officer said.
The separatist leader, who was placed under house arrest late Thursday, was taken to the Shaheed Gunj police station after the arrest, the officer said. Alam, along with fellow Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Pir Saiffulah, was booked under the UAPA for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and waving the country’s flag at a rally on Wednesday.
Mr. Alam on Thursday said that he had not hoisted a Pakistan flag himself which, he said, was held by some others in the crowd. Eyewitnesses and police sources said that Alam did not in fact unfurl any Pakistan flag during the rally.
“The media wanted Alam to be arrested and the BJP sternly said Mufti Sayeed that they wanted him arrested, and the State government instructed us to arrest him,” a senior police official said. “Alam in fact did not raise any flags. On the footage of the rally with the police, he does not raise the flag but shouts pro-Pakistan slogans.”
As he was being led away by police, Mr. Alam said his arrest was nothing new as “Jammu and Kashmir is being ruled on the might of power. Raising of Pakistani flags and chanting pro-freedom slogans is nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been happening since 1947,” he said.
The Hurriyat had called for a “Tral Chalo” rally for Friday to protests the killing of a 24-year-old civilian by the Army in an alleged gun battle earlier in the week. Police and CRPF have been deployed and restrictions have been put in place to foil the march. Late on Thursday Mr. Alam and Mr. Geelani were put under house arrest to prevent them from leading a rally to Tral.
Bureau Report
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