Separatist protest over 'judicial double standards' in Srinagar

Separatist activists of the Hurriyat group headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Wednesday staged a protest here alleging the "double standards of Indian judicial system".

Shouting slogans for the release of all detained separatists, the protestors carried banners alleging that both Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat and parliament attack convict Afzal Guru were hanged without evidence.

The protest was led by Javaid Ahmad Mir, a leader of the Hurriyat group.

After the peaceful protest, activists dispersed without any intervention from the security forces.

After the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to life term, there has been sharp reaction in Kashmir with many mainstream, separatist politicians and civil society groups arguing why the same reprieve was not given to Guru.