Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq placed under house arrest in Srinagar

Srinagar: The authorities placed Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group, under house arrest on Wednesday to prevent him from attending a separatist` meeting over government plans to set up colony for ex-servicement in the state.

The Mirwaiz was placed under house arrest in his uptown Nigeen residence, police said in summer capital Srinagar.

Mirwaiz Umer was scheduled to attend a separatist called meeting to discuss the strategy for what the separatists call "resisting the government plans to form a Sainik (Ex-servicemen) colony in Kashmir".

Separatists have also called for a protest shutdown on Thursday and on post Friday prayer protests to register protest against alleged moves of the central and the state government to allot land to ex-servicemen for setting up a colony in the Valley.