Mirwaiz Umar Farooq detained after he defies house arrest

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was today detained after he defied house arrest and tried to march towards Lal Chowk city centre hereto demand the resolution of the Kashmir issue during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state.

Farooq, who was under house arrest, came out of his Nigeen residence and tried to march towards Lal Chowk, a police official said.

He said a posse of policemen, waiting outside his house, took the Hurriyat chairman into preventive custody and shifted him to the Nigeen Police Station.

Farooq yesterday said the government should allow the people to assemble at Lal Chowkso that they can convey their 'Mann ki Baat' to the prime minister during his visit today.

Mr Modi all have been listening to your 'mann ki baat' for years now. As you come heretomorrow, allow us Kashmiris to peacefully gather at Lal Chowk so that you hear our 'Mann ki baat'! It's just three words-- Resolve Kashmir Dispute," Farooq had said in his address to Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here.

Separatists under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had asked people to observe a complete shutdown and march to Lal Chowk city centre to convey to Modi their demand for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The JRL, which comprises Mirwaiz, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had in a statement said, "India will try to use the visit of its prime minister to mislead the world community and its own people by claiming that people of Jammu and Kashmir are happy being part of India. The ground reality is that the situation in the state is like hell."