Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq put under house arrest ahead of Jammu and Kashmir civic polls

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had called for boycott of the civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir beginning October 8.

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was Sunday placed under house arrest ahead of the first phase of urban local body (ULB) polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Srinagar. (PTI File Photo)

Elections to ULBs in the state will start from Monday and be held in four phases. On October 2, police took Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik into preventive custody. Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani continues to be under house detention.

The three separatist leaders – under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) – have called for boycott of the polls beginning Monday.