In a tweet earlier on Sunday, the Srinagar Police stated: “A search was conducted on the basis of credible information about a meeting of several former JKLF terrorists and former separatists in a Srinagar hotel. For verification, they were brought to Kothibagh PS.
Primarily, the investigation revealed that they intended to reestablish the JKLF and Hurriyat. According to authorities, a case has already been filed at police station Kothibagh in the center of the city under several provisions of the unlawful activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.
In a police raid on Sunday in Srinagar, a large number of separatist leaders and their sympathizers were arrested with the intention of “disallowing revival of the separatist Hurriyat and the J&K Liberation Front (JKLF).
According to a J&K Police official, a search was conducted as a result of reliable information about a meeting between some “ex-terrorists” of the JKLF and “erstwhile separatists” in a Srinagar hotel.
“The arrested persons and others were planning to revive these organisations (JKLF and Hurriyat) on the directions of Pakistan-based handlers. This meeting was an overt attempt to start working for revival of these moribund organisations,” police said.
The initial inquiry also showed that they had contact with foreign organizations, some of which were even associated with secessionist movements like the Kashmir Global Council, which was run by Farooq Siddiqui and Raja Muzaffer of the JKLF.
Immediately with the Centre’s termination of J&K’s unique constitutional standing in 2019, the separatist Hurriyat’s visibility decreased. Before the Centre repealed the terms of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the Hurriyat, which is an amalgam of many political groups, was subject to a harsh crackdown. Since 2019, the authorities have forbidden any Hurriyat gathering or activity.
On Monday, a Hurriyat official denied planning any meeting in Srinagar. A representative for the Hurriyat claimed that “some members of the Hurriyat were detained by the police yesterday from a hotel in Srinagar, where they had gone to attend an Eid Milan luncheon.”
Those who attended this meal, he continued, did it individually rather than on behalf of the Hurriyat. “Neither the Hurriyat leadership nor it was a Hurriyat event. It is completely unfounded and speculative to ascribe Hurriyat with any intentions in this regard, the official continued.
