The chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Yasin Malik and his seven aides were on Thursday detained by police at Banihal while they were going to tension gripped Rajouri town.

"Malik and seven other JKLF leaders were detained by police at Banihal as they were heading towards Rajouri," JKLF spokesman said in Mumbai.

He said Malik was going to the border town in Jammu region as part of his efforts to defuse tension following clashes between two communities.

The curfew was clamped on the town last week after some unidentified persons pelted stones at a religious procession.

The stone-hurlers were protesting against VHP leader Praveen Togadia's recent remarks which, they alleged, had hurt sentiments of a particular community.