Sunday, June 07, 2009 SRINAGAR: Indian police arrested Sunday a Kashmiri leader for encouraging week-long protests over the alleged rape and murder of two Muslim women. Syed Ali Geelani, 79, was held after a midnight raid on his house in Srinagar, a police source said, adding that he had been shifted to an undisclosed location to prevent him calling for further demonstrations. Anger over the death of a 17-year-old girl and her 22-year-old sister-in-law has effectively shut down much of the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, over the past week. Indian officials say preliminary investigations suggest drowning was the cause of death, but the families of the victims have accused the security forces of abducting, raping and killing the women. In an attempt to curb the daily protests, which have so far claimed one life and left more than 300 injured, authorities have issued a ban on demonstrations. Before his arrest, Geelani made telephone calls to local reporters calling on Muslims to hold protests on Monday to "express solidarity with the families of the victims." A judicial probe ordered by Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has failed to cool tempers. An insurgency against Indian rule in Kashmir has left more than 47,000 people dead over the past 20 years.
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