Separatist leaders put under house arrest in Indian Kashmir

05/09/2008 22:11:27

The three top separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir have been put under house arrest ahead of the first Friday prayers of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Geelani and Yasin Malik had called on residents of Srinagar and the surrounding Kashmir valley to stage fresh anti Indian demonstrations on Friday.

Since June the valley has seen an upsurge of unrest which has left at least 39 Muslims and 3 Hindus dead.

The protests werer triggered by a state government plan to donate land to a Hindu shrine trust in the valley.

The decision was later reversed after massive Muslim protests, angering Hindus.

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