Separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on Friday detained by the police when he marched towards Shopian by defying his house arrest. The separatists, including Syed Alishah Geelani, Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik, had given the call for protest march to Shopian where three persons were killed in a clash with Army personnel on 27 January.
The authorities had clamped restrictions in various parts of the valley and also in Srinagar to thwart the separatists’ march that was called to further escalate tension. Restrictions were strictly enforced in Shopian that has been witnessing encounters between security forces and terrorists.
Despite being under house arrest, Geelani was allowed to address telephonically the mourners who had assembled in Shopian after the death of these persons. Two persons had died on the spot and the third succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
The clash occured when a mob attacked with stones a convoy of the Army that was passing through the Gawanpura village. The Army resorted to firing when the mob allegedly tried to lynch a JCO of the Army unit and burn their vehicles.