Separatist leader Masarat Alam remanded to 7-day police custody

A court on Friday night  remanded separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat, arrested over raising of pro-Pakistan slogans and hoisting Pakistan flags at a rally, to seven-day police custody by a court in Budgam.

Alam was produced before a concerned judge who sent him to police custody till April 23. The 45-year-old hardliner was arrested from his home in Habbakadal area of the city early this morning and slapped with charges of leading seditious activities and waging a war against the nation. 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 last night.

"Bhat has been arrested in the case registered in police station Budgam in connection with the provocative actions during the rally on Wednesday," a senior police officer 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 milintants shot down in a gunbattle.

Meanwhile, pitched battles were fought on the streets of Srinagar this afternoon when supporters of the Hurriyat Conference clashed with police resulting in injury to about a dozen people, including two policemen. Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces soon after the Friday prayers concluded at the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of the city. Reports of stone-pelting were also received from Tral and adjoining areas.

Young men with clothes wrapped on their faces were seen hurling stones at the police who fired teargas shells to break up the march. As Srinagar was on the boil, the Centre said it was keeping a close watch on the situation and asserted there will be "zero tolerance" to militancy and separatism. 

"The Central government is keeping a close watch on situation in J&K. Union Home Ministry is keeping itself abreast of all the sequence of the events from time to time. They are also giving most valuable guidance to the state of J&K," Union Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said.

"As far as BJP is concerned both at Centre and states, our stand has been very consistent as far as nationalism, patriotism is concerned. We follow a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, towards separatism...The coalition, which has come in Jammu and Kashmir is purely for the sake of governance," he said.

Apparently referring to the differences between the ruling allies in J&K-BJP and PDP- over tackling militancy, the minister said the two parties had come together "purely" to give a government in the troubled state after the Assembly polls threw up a fractured mandate.

Referring to Pakistan's support to the separatists, Singh said,"Pakistan is always looking forward to fish in troubled waters but as far as we are concerned and the BJP is concerned, we are very clear about it. We have zero tolerance towards separatism and terrorism", he said.