The Kashmir experts in the Home Ministry decided on Friday — soon after US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met L.K. Advani — that it was the right time to rein in Hurriyat Conference hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani.Home Minister L.K. Advani had given them the go-ahead to proceed, sources said. J-K CM Farooq Abdullah was been consulted. In a meeting, that went on till 10 pm, in the office of Special Secretary (J&K) A.K. Bhandari, the modalities of the arrest and the raid were worked out, sources said. It was felt the pro-jehad and pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islaami leader had to be taken care of, for the ‘‘peace process’’ and the elections.The decision to send Geelani to the unlikely Ranchi jail was also the part of a well-thought out strategy by MHA. Usually, the Kashmiri militants are sent to jails either in Jodhpur, Allahabad, Tihar or Kot Balwal in Jammu, sources said.‘‘Several Kashmiri militants are already lodged in these jails. In the past, we have noticed that even while in prison, these people continue to plan disruptive activities since they are in close contact with each other. There is no such fear in Ranchi jail,’’ sources said.
