Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani placed under house arrest

SRINAGAR: Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been placed under house arrest, two weeks after authorities allowed him to move out of his Hyderpora residence following eight months of curbs.

"Geelani was placed under house arrest last evening and cops have been deployed outside his residence at Hyderpora to prevent him from moving out," a spokesman of the Geelani-led Hurriyat said.

He said the Hurriyat hawk was scheduled to address a public rally at Palhallan in volatile Pattan town in north Kashmir's Baramulla district today.

When asked about the move, a police spokesman declined to comment while District Magistrate, Srinagar, could not be reached.

"The step to curb the movement of the Hurriyat chairman is sheer frustration," the spokesman said.

Geelani was placed under house arrest soon after his return from Delhi in March this year and the restrictions were lifted only after the seat of the state government moved to winter capital Jammu toward the end of last month.

Geelani was also scheduled to visit Banihal town next week for a public rally.