Centre airlifts 100 paramilitary companies to Srinagar, Yasin Malik held

Police detain dozens of Jamaat-e-Islami cadres in Valley, outfit says Abdul Hamid Fayaz among those rounded up

The Centre airlifted an additional hundred companies of paramilitary forces to Srinagar to boost security build up even as police detained JKLF chief Yasin Malik Friday night and arrested dozens of Jamaat-e-Islami workers in the Valley.'

Almost ten days after the Pulwama terror attack, the government on Friday rushed 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces to Kashmir to boost security build up.

This was followed by the police detaining dozens of Jamaat-e-Islami cadres in the Kashmir Valley, including its top leadership during a mass crackdown. The nocturnal raids were conducted in south, central and north Kashmir districts to mop up the senior-most members of the political group.

A spokesman of the Jamaat said those detained include the chief, (Ameer-e-Jamaat) Abdul Hamid Fayaz.

The authorities have given no explanation as to why the raids were necessitated on the oldest religio-political organisation, which has over 5,000 cadres.

Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was also detained by the police in Srinagar on Friday. He has been lodged in a police station.

PDP president and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Saturday questioned the legality of the crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir leaders, saying the "arbitrary" move will only "precipitate matters" in the state.

"In the past 24 hours, Hurriyat leaders & workers of Jamaat organisation have been arrested. Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters in J&K," Mehbooba tweeted.

"Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas," she said.