Mirwaiz Umar Farooq placed under house arrest ahead of protests

SRINAGAR: Authorities on Friday placed moderate Hurriyat group chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest ahead of separatist called protests here.

Separatists have called for post Friday prayer demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley to protest the detention of Dukhtaran-e-Milan chief Asiya Andrabi under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

Asiya and her deputy Fahmeeda Sofi were booked under the PSA early this week. They are in a jail in Jammu.

A police team arrived at Mirwaiz's Nigeen residence early in the morning and informed him that he could not move out on Friday, sources close to the senior separatist leader said.

Senior hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani continues to remain under house arrest inside his uptown Hyderpora residence here.