SAR Geelani, Iftikhar among those placed under detention

On the day Afzal Guru, convicted of the attack on Parliament in 2001, was hanged in Tihar jail, Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the same case, was detained by the Special Cell officers as a "preventive measure".

Police sources on Saturday confirmed that Geelani was picked up by Special Cell personnel and placed under detention at an undisclosed location.

Geelani was arrested for his alleged involvement in December 2001 Parliament attack case, but was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2003.

Speaking over phone, a relative of Geelani told The Sunday Express that he was detained while leaving home in Zakir Nagar, near Jamia, on Saturday morning.

"He was going to Malviya Nagar when policemen came to take him. They claimed to be from the Delhi Police Special Cell. Later, local police officers informed us that the personnel who took him away were Special Cell officers," the relative said.

A senior officer of the Special Cell said, "Geelani and others were detained as a prohibitory measure to ensure that the law and order situation in the city was not disrupted."

Police also detained Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and journalist Iftikhar Gilani.

Iftikhar Gilani, who works with a national daily and lives with his wife and two teenaged children in Malviya Nagar, was released in the afternoon after mediapersons arrived at the scene, protesting against his detention.

He was arrested in June 2002 on espionage charges under the Official Secrets Act. He was also accused of working with Pakistan's ISI, but was later acquitted.

Iftikhar Gilani said he was leaving for his office at 10 am when he was approached by police. "They were asking for the address of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who is my father-in-law and also lives in Malviya Nagar," he said.

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