Indian troops arrest key leaders in Kashmir

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-25 14:04

SRINAGAR, India -- Indian authorities arrested two prominent separatist leaders in pre-dawn raids Monday while thousands of troops enforced a strict curfew to quash protests in the Himalayan region that have left at least 34 people dead.

Indian police officers stand guard during a curfew in Srinagar August 24, 2008. Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in Indian Kashmir on Sunday ahead of a separatist rally, the latest in a series of protests against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region. [Agencies]

The arrests came hours after paramilitary soldiers in Srinigar opened fire on a group of Muslim protesters who allegedly defied an indefinite curfew imposed in Muslim-majority areas and tried to storm into a police camp, an official said. One person was killed and another seriously injured.

A weekend general strike in Srinigar was the latest in the largest wave of protests against Indian rule in more than a decade, sparked in June when Muslims demonstrated over a government decision to transfer land to a Hindu shrine.

Early Monday, police arrested the two separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, "as a precautionary measure to ensure that law and order is maintained," said senior police official S.M. Sahai.

It was unclear how the arrests would affect plans for a massive sit-in protest planned for Monday.

"It will not deter our mission," Farooq told The Associated Press just before he was arrested.

The streets of Srinagar, the region's biggest city, were tense Monday as Indian troops turned out in full force to enforce the blanket curfew. Armored vehicles patrolled the streets, barbed wire barricades blocked public squares, and all roads leading into the city were shut down.

There were nevertheless signs of defiance, as Muslim leaders blared pro-independence chants from mosque speakers and denounced the midnight arres.

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