Separatist leaders under house arrest in Srinagar

Several Jammu and Kashmir separatist leaders were placed under house arrest here Friday ahead of a protest against the film "Innocence of Muslims", a trailer of which was uploaded on YouTube.

Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah and Muhammad Nayeem Khan were placed under house arrest in this state summer capital. Protests against the film, which depicts Prophet Mohammed in a poor light, were planned for the afternoon after Friday prayers.

Without accepting or denying that separatist leaders have been placed under house arrest in the city, police officials said preventive measures were in place in the city. "Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Ccode are in place in the city to prevent any breach of law and order," a police official said. The orders ban any gathering of four or more people.

Police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in riot gear have been deployed at sensitive places to maintain law and order. The state government had approached the union telecommunications ministry to block the blasphemous video on YouTube.

"Yes, we have approached the union telecom ministry to have the video blocked on YouTube since its display can cause law and order problems in the state," state Home Commissioner B.R. Sharma told IANS.