Yasin Malik charged with attempt to murder, sent to jail

Separatist jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik has been booked on charges of attempt to murder and sent to jail in connection with a violent protest here last week during which a young police officer suffered serious injuries.

Malik, along with his associates, took out a procession on Friday (December 25) without any prior permission from the district administration to protest against the twin-killings allegedly by Village Defence Committee members in Rajouri area of Jammu, a police spokesman said.

"During this unlawful procession, Malik incited and instigated his associates with an intention to create disturbances and to disturb the normal life," he said.

"The supporters started heavy pelting (of stones) on the policemen and the vehicles passing by, injuring many policemen including Fahad Tak, DySP, SDPO Kothibagh, Srinagar who received serious injuries to his eye and a fracture in his nose," the spokesman said.

For the incident, case first information report No 47/2015 was registered in police station Maisuma and Mohammad Yasin Malik along with some of his associates were taken into custody and lodged in the police station.

"Under the legal process, the accused have been remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Central Jail, Srinagar," the spokesman said.

He said the 29-year-old officer, a direct Kashmir Police Service recruit of 2011 batch and on his first field posting, had to be airlifted to Delhi and is under treatment at the AIIMS in New Delhi.

"The doctors at the hospital are not very optimistic about the regaining of vision of the affected eye despite surgeries having being performed," he said.

Malik, who tried to stage the protest march against the killing of civilians allegedly by Village Defence Committee members in Rajouri district, was taken into preventive custody by police that day.

Malik's detention led to his supporters engaging the police personnel in pitched battles, resulting in injuries to the police officer.

Separatist groups including the JKLF and moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference have condemned Malik's detention.

Meanwhile, a spontaneous shutdown was observed in Maisuma, the locality to which Malik belongs, and some adjoining areas to protest the detention. Shops and other business establishments were shut in Maisuma and adjacent localities near the commercial hub of Lal Chowk to protest the detention.

Though no group had issued any shutdown call, the traders in the areas kept their businesses closed as a mark of protest.