Srinagar: A court in Jammu and Kashmir has ordered seven day police remand for Kashmiri separatist Masarat Alam. Alam was arrested on Friday amid mounting outrage over raising of pro-Pakistan slogans and flags at a rally attended by him on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old hardliner was arrested from his home in Habbakadal area of the city on Friday morning. Masarat, who was himself seen chanting slogans in support of Pakistan, besides Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had been placed under house arrest in Srinagar on Thursday night.
Despite the arrest, Alam remained defiant and said that the scheduled rally in Tral against the death of a youth in an encounter with Army will continue as planned.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said India's unity and integrity were "inviolable" and nobody will be allowed to break them.
"I would like to assure the countrymen that no one will be allowed to break the unity and integrity of the country be it Masarat Alam or anybody else," Singh said.
An FIR was registered against Geelani, Masarat and other separatists leaders for "provocative activities" under various sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other penal laws.
The arrest came hours ahead of Hurriyat's planned march to Tral area of Pulwama district where two youths had been killed in an army operation. Locals have alleged the two were killed in a staged encounter, while the army insisted they were terrorists shot down in a gunbattle.
Meanwhile, pitched battles were fought on the streets of Srinagar on Friday afternoon when supporters of the Hurriyat Conference clashed with police resulting in injury to about a dozen people, including two policemen.
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