Thaindian News

Srinagar, May 13 (IANS) Senior hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was Friday restricted by the authorities from moving out of his uptown Hyderpora residence following an order by the district magistrate here.

A police statement said Geelani had been restrained from going to the south Kashmir’s Shopian district following the district magistrate’s order.

Geelani was scheduled to start his campaign for the release of political prisoners from Shopian town Friday following his decision to visit every district headquarter in the Valley for the campaign.

Last week, Geelani had offered funeral prayers for slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in the densely populated Batmaloo locality of Srinagar city.

Youths pelted stones at security forces after Geelani’s post-prayer address.

“Following the orders of district magistrate of Srinagar, Syed Ali Shah Geelani will not be allowed to move towards Shopian.

“It has been observed on a number of previous occasions that whenever Syed Ali Shah Geelani visited a public place, the incidents of stone pelting and disruption in peace were reported.

“On 22 April 2011, when he visited Baramulla and on 6 May 2011, when he visited Batmaloo, stone pelting incidents were reported which disrupted peace in these areas, besides injuring a number of persons,” a police statement issued here late Thursday evening said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had tweeted last week that he would not make Geelani a hero by imposing restrictions on him.

Abdullah was defending his decision to allow Geelani move about freely last Friday, reversing an earlier administrative decision to place the separatist leader under house arrest to disallow him from leading Osama’s funeral prayers in Batmaloo locality.