SRINAGAR: Police in India occupied Kashmir (IoK) on Tuesday detained at least 12 women, including the sister and daughter of former occupied Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) chief minister Farooq Abdullah, for holding anti-India protests in the valley, according to officials.
The women had assembled in a park in Srinagar on Tuesday while carrying placards reading “Respect Fundamental Rights” and “Why Downgrade Jammu and Kashmir”.
They were arrested by police and taken to a nearby police station when they tried to move towards the main business area of Lal Chowk. Prominent women activists and academicians were also part of the protest.
The protest was held a day after India said that it had restored communication channels, especially post-paid mobile phone connections, in occupied Kashmir after more than two months of a communication blackout.
Officials said that the ban on more than two million prepaid mobile connections and internet services would most likely continue.
According to NDTV, besides Abdullah's sister Suraiya Abdullah and his daughter Safia Abdullah Khan, the wife of former occupied J&K chief justice Bashir Ahmed Khan, namely Hawa Bashir, had also been detained by police.
Abdullah has been under house arrest in Srinagar since early August after India revoked Kashmir’s special constitutional status on August 5 and imposed a curfew on the valley while detaining dozens of politicians.
On September 16, he was formally arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA), following which his house was turned into a “judicial lockup”. Meanwhile, his son Omar Abdullah is being held at a state guest house.
The occupied J&K administration has also detained former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti as part of its crackdown on dissenting voices in the region.
The women had assembled in a park in Srinagar on Tuesday while carrying placards reading “Respect Fundamental Rights” and “Why Downgrade Jammu and Kashmir”.
They were arrested by police and taken to a nearby police station when they tried to move towards the main business area of Lal Chowk. Prominent women activists and academicians were also part of the protest.
The protest was held a day after India said that it had restored communication channels, especially post-paid mobile phone connections, in occupied Kashmir after more than two months of a communication blackout.
Officials said that the ban on more than two million prepaid mobile connections and internet services would most likely continue.
According to NDTV, besides Abdullah's sister Suraiya Abdullah and his daughter Safia Abdullah Khan, the wife of former occupied J&K chief justice Bashir Ahmed Khan, namely Hawa Bashir, had also been detained by police.
Abdullah has been under house arrest in Srinagar since early August after India revoked Kashmir’s special constitutional status on August 5 and imposed a curfew on the valley while detaining dozens of politicians.
On September 16, he was formally arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA), following which his house was turned into a “judicial lockup”. Meanwhile, his son Omar Abdullah is being held at a state guest house.
The occupied J&K administration has also detained former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti as part of its crackdown on dissenting voices in the region.