Yasin Malik taken into preventive custody

Malik,who had planned to lead a “torch rally” from Khankah in downtown Srinagar,was detained by police from his Maisuma residence in the heart of Srinagar this morning,the sources said.

Hundreds of Police and paramilitary personnel were also deployed in and around Khankah to maintain law and order,they said.

However,JKLF activists led by vice chairman Bashir Ahmad Bhat made an attempt to take out the torch rally from Maisuma headquarters but their attempt was foiled by police.

Bhat alongwith several other party leaders were detained and rest were chased away by police who burst a teargas shell and used batons after a group of youth pelted stones on them,the sources said,adding,reinforcements have been rushed to the area to restore order.

Condemning the police action,a JKLF spokesman said,”The rally was planned to highlight the unabated human rights violations and bring the attention of the world community towards the long standing Kashmir issue for its resolution.”