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Tension grips Srinagar as Geelani is hospitalised

Tension gripped parts of Srinagar Saturday as groups of people clashed with police and pelted stones on passing vehicles enforcing a shutdown to register protest against the alleged "manhandling and ill-treatment" of former Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the arrest of 25 persons from various parts of the city.

Geelani, the firebrand Jamaat-e-Islami leader, while being released at Hyderpora Saturday was roughed up by police when he allegedly resisted the arrest of two of his close associates, Mohammad Yousuf Mujahid and Ghulam Rasool Sofi, eyewitnesses said.

Geelani and six of his close associates were detained by police after they broke the police cordon around his Hyderpora house and tried to lead a demonstration against the alleged desecration of holy Quran at Hyderpora on Friday.

He refused to go home Friday evening when police set him free as two of his close associates were not released.

However, when he along with his six colleagues was taken to Hyderpora to be released, police requested Geelani to allow them to arrest the two.

Geelani refused and resisted. In the ensuing scuffle, Geelani fell unconscious and was taken to Soura medical institute, the eyewitnesses said.

However, police arrested Mohammad Yousuf Mujahid but Ghulam Rasool Sofi escaped. Police officials said Geelani was not beaten up but in the scuffle he fell down and was rushed to hospital, where his condition was described as "stable."

Meanwhile, militants attacked a CRPF camp with grenades and set ablaze four migrant houses in the valley, official sources said.

Militants of pro-Pak Al-Umer Mujahideen fired three rifle grenades towards a CRPF camp at Barzulla locality of uptown Srinagar Friday evening. The grenades exploded in mid-air, without causing any casualty, the sources said.

They said Habibullah Rather, a resident of Drang-Beerwah, was killed when police opened fire while chasing some timber smugglers at Lasipora village in Badgam district Friday night.

However, residents alleged that there was no firing from the militants and Habibullah was killed when the police fired on the timber smugglers in a bid to arrest them. The timber smugglers managed to escape.

Four houses were set ablaze by militants at Palhallan in Baramulla district Friday night, the sources said adding the houses, vacated by the security forces recently, were damaged in the arson.

Militants also fired on a house of a village head Ghulam Ahmad Dar in Rangreth area of Badgam district Friday night, but none was hurt, they said.

The sources said police recovered a live grenade from Kulgam town of Anantnag district Saturday.

A Hizbul Mujahideen militant Javid Ahmad Malik was nabbed along with arms and ammunition from his house in Pulwama district Saturday, they said adding two suspected militants, Farooq Ahmad of HMT-Shalitang and Bashir Ahmad of Miskeenbagh- Khanyar, were also arrested in Srinagar.

PTI

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