A shutdown call by separatist leaders evoked lukewarm response in Kashmir on Tuesday. The shutdown had been called against the arrest of several separatist leaders and workers by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for their involvement in terror funding and stoking violence in Kashmir.
The NIA had on Monday arrested seven separatists, including Muhammad Altaf Fantosh, son-in-law of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, Nayeem Khan and Farooq Dar, alias Biitta Karate. The arrested separatists were flown to Delhi where a court on Tuesday remanded them to 10-day NIA remand.
Joint Resistance leadership (JRl) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik had called for shutdown against the arrests terming it a ploy by the government of India to suppress the separatists.
The authorities imposed restrictions in several parts of old Srinagar to thwart protests. However, there was not any untoward incident in any part of Valley.
The NIA arrested seven Hurriyat leaders including Fantosh in connection with its probe into the case of alleged funding for militancy and subversive activities in Kashmir. This is for the first time since the eruption of militancy in Kashmir in early nineties that a central probe agency has carried out raids and formal arrests in connection with funding of Hurriyat leaders.
The seven separatist leaders including Altaf Ahmad Shah, Ayaz Akbar Khanday, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Peer Saifullah, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Nayeem Khan and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate were arrested in connection with the NIA case filed vide No. RC-10/2017/NIA/DlI (J&K Terror Funding Case) under sections 120B, 121, 121 A of IPC and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39, 40 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Most of the shops, business establishments, fuel stations and educational institutions remained closed in main city areas. Scant private transport plied on certain roads particularly in city outskirts. Patients were seen visiting govt hospitals, health centres across city. The attendance in Government offices and private offices remained affected due to non availability of public transport. Reports of shutdown were also received from other district headquarters of the Valley. Train services also remained affected. During the later part of the day, the impact of shutdown gradually diminished.
Reacting to the arrests of separatist leaders, Hurriyat Conference in a statement said that NIA was being used as a war weapon against leadership.
“The Indian Government is frustrated to the extent that they frame and raid residences of pro-freedom leaders and activists on the pre-planned psychological crackdown, so that they surrender and stop voicing the sentiments of their nation, thereby covering and shielding their atrocities and barbarism against common and unarmed people,” a Hurriyat spokesman said.