To scuttle march,Geelani,Mirwaiz put under house arrest

Syed Ali Shah Geelani,Mirwaiz’s hardline counterpart,was also confined to his house,though only a few days ago,the state government had promised him “political space” in exchange for using his influence to prevent protesters from pelting stones and burning properties. Geelani helped clam the streets a little,but was struggling to steer the unprecedented unrest.

Arresting him and fellow separatists again,Geelani feels,will only make matters worse. “Government is going back on its promise of giving political space to us,” Geelani told The Indian Express. “In time,this will only create more frustration among youth and drive them towards violence,which will be justified.”

People came out to protest at several places across Kashmir,defying curfew. In Pampore,police and CRPF fired at protesters,wounding eight.

In Baramulla,thousands turned out for the funeral prayers of Syed Farrukh Bukhari,the 19-year-old student whose tortured body was found in a stream at Choora village,13 days after he was allegedly picked up by the police. At least three persons were injured when police and CRPF fired teargas shells at people who were marching towards Kreeri to attend the funeral.

Meanwhile,PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has condemned the killing of Farukh,allegedly in police custody. Mufti said the state government “has become completely immune to the atrocities it is inflicting on the people”. “Death in tragic circumstances of yet another teenager adds to the long list of tragedies Kashmir has suffered at the hands of a blind and heartless government,” she said.

Meanwhile,the deployment of the Rapid Action Force in the Valley has has had little impact on the situation. In fact,the situation has only worsened.