Separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have been put under house arrest or detained as the state goes to vote in the municipal polls on Monday.
Moderate separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was restrained to his home by police on Sunday while Jammu and Kashmir Liberation front chairman Yasin Malik has been under detention for the past four days. Hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani continues to be under house arrest.
A Hurriyat spokesman condemned the “fresh arrest spree” in Kashmir.
Authorities have deployed heavy security in various districts, including sensitive polling stations to ensure an event-free polling amid boycott calls from separatists and threats by militants.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has asked the people to observe a complete shutdown on Monday. They have also asked people to observe subsequent protest shutdown in their own respective areas on poll days — October 10, 13 and 16.
The four-phase municipal polls for 72 municipal committees, six municipal councils and two municipal corporations have 2,990 candidates in the fray.
In the first phase, 1,283 candidates are contesting, with 1,010 from Jammu, 207 from Kashmir and 66 from Ladakh for 422 wards (247 in Jammu, 149 in Kashmir, 26 in Ladakh).
The decision to conduct the polls is being seen as part of the Centre’s efforts to turn the tide in the state where local militant recruitment and violence have escalated since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s killing in July 2016.
{{/usCountry}}The decision to conduct the polls is being seen as part of the Centre’s efforts to turn the tide in the state where local militant recruitment and violence have escalated since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s killing in July 2016.
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