Geelani arrested, strike on in Kashmir valley

Srinagar, June 7 (PTI) Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali
Shah Geelani and his two close aides were arrested here as the
separatist-sponsored strike in India's northern part Kashmir
valley protesting the alleged rape and murder of two women in
Shopian entered the seventh day Sunday.

Geelani was arrested with his aides Ghulam Nabi Sumji and
Ayaz Akbar Saturday night, hours after he announced a
week-long protest against the incident, officials said Sunday.
The bodies of Asiya (17) and her sister-in-law Nelofar (22)
were fished out of a stream in Shopian, 52 kms from here, last
week.

Official sources said it could not be conclusively
ascertained whether the two women had been raped as this was
not possible by only analysing a slide containing spermatozoa.

"We can only tell you whether it is human sperm. Rest is
a matter of investigation for which the state government has
constituted an independent inquiry team," they said.

Meanwhile, the government directed all local cable news
channels to restrict their bulletins to 15 minutes daily.

The decision was conveyed by the district administration
to the editors, proprietors and correspondents of
Srinagar-based cable channels at a meeting.

"We only want to ensure that the Cable Act is not
violated by broadcast of objectionable programmes," Deputy
Commissioner, Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo said.

Police have also filed an FIR against a local news
agency, Current News Service, for allegedly transmitting wrong
information through its SMS service.

The FIR has been registered in Kothi Bagh police station
against the agency for transmitting a news item -- "Shopian
tense, more than 100 protesters injured", police said.

The situation in Srinagar and other major towns of the
valley continued to be tense for the seventh successive day.

While asking people to resume their normal activities
from Tuesday, Geelani had asked them to march to Shopian
Monday and hold peaceful demonstrations till Friday when the
future course of action would be announced.

Shops and business establishments were closed and
transport remained off the roads in response to the call given
by separatists to protest the death of the two women, whose
family members are on a hunger strike to demand action against
the guilty.

As the situation remained tense, police and paramilitary
personnel patrolled the deserted streets of Srinagar and major
towns of the valley to maintain law and order.

The hunger strike is being staged since Thursday to
demand that culprits behind the alleged rape and murder of the
two women be brought to book.

Bodies of Asiya and Nelofar were recovered on Saturday
last after they went missing from their orchards in Shopian on
the previous day, triggering massive protests in the valley
despite a judicial inquiry being ordered into the case. PTI
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