Police on Monday detained Hurriyat (M) chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq after he defied his house arrest and tried to march towards Badami Bagh army base in Srinagar as a mark of protest against Pulwama civilian killings.
Reports said that Mirwaiz came out of his Nigeen residence and tried to march along with dozens of his supporters towards the Badami Bagh base.
However, a police contingent deployed near his residence thwarted the march and detained the Mirwaiz and his supporters.
Commenting upon the Pulwama killings before his detention, Mirwaiz said that forces have become a “killing machine.”
“We can only express our sorrow and outrage by stopping our daily business, as each day we lose valuable lives,” he said.
Mirwaiz said that shutdown is the only collective response “left with us to express our condolences, sorrow solidarity and outrage to such atrocities.”
He said every other space to express “our emotions is barred by force.”
Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik has called for a shutdown and march to Badami Bagh army cantonment against the Pulwama civilian killings over the weekend.
On Saturday, seven civilians were killed after forces opened fire on protesters near a gunfight site in Sarnoo village of Pulwama. Three militants and a soldier were killed in the gunfight.
The killings have sparked protests and condemnations from politicians and the civil society.
Authorities have imposed curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar to foil the march.
Army has asked people not to march towards the Badami Bagh base.
