The police on Thursday resorted to force to quell activists of breakaway Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar,
agitating against the
awarding of death sentence to Mohammad Afzal Guru, prime accused in the December 13 Parliament attack, in Tihar jail on October 20.
Meanwhile, the breakaway HC has given a general strike call on Friday in protest against the court's order. About 35 leaders and activists of the HC and Democratic Liberation Party were also taken into custody while five, including a woman, were injured in police action.
The HC activists led by the General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Sumbji took to the streets from the Amalgam headquarters at Rajbagh. However, when the procession reached near Zero bridge, policemen stopped them from proceeding towards Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital.
When the irate mob refused to disperse, the police resorted to lathicharge and also fired teargas shells in which five people, including a woman activist of Muslim Khawateen Markaz Asiya, were injured. Later, the police took into custody about 20 HC leaders and activists.
The police also resorted to baton-charge at Regal Chowk near Srinagar to disperse the activists of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party. Demanding immediate release of Afzal Guru, the DLP activists took to the streets at Lal Chowk.
