Six senior separatist leaders, including hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah, were on Friday put under house arrest even as protestors clashed with police over the alleged demolition of a mosque in Srinagar.
Geelani, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, Peer Abdul Rashid, G M Ganai and Mohammad Ashraf Laya were put under house arrest in the wee hours on Friday, a spokesman of the hardline faction said in a statement in Srinagar.
Even close relatives of the leader, who was recently operated upon for a kidney ailment, were not allowed to enter the house, the spokesman said.
President of Democratic Freedom Party Shabir Ahmad Shah told PTI that he was also put under house arrest by the police.
"A police team arrived at my place at around 5.30 am and informed me that restrictions have been put on my movement oustide the premises for the day," he said.
However, no senior police official was willing to comment on curbs on the movement of the separatist leaders.
Sources said curbs were imposed on the separatist leaders as a precautionary measure to avoid a law and order problem as police had on Thursday arrested six of Geelani's aides as they were about to address a press conference in Srinagar.
A case was registered against Geelani and four others under the Unlawful Activities Act after a rally in Srinagar on April 22 during which participants shouted pro-militant slogans.
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