Two arrested from Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's residence in Srinagar

Two people, including one domestic help, was arrested from the residence of ailing separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Srinagar on Tuesday, said Jammu and Kashmir Police sources.  The two people were arrested at around 10:30 PM on Tuesday night, reportedly for sharing videos of the 90-year-old Hurriyat leader's video on social media.

The mobile services in the newly-formed Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir was snapped on the night of February 12 to curb the spread of rumours of Geelani's health. However, Geelani's family said that while the separatist was ill for some time, his condition had improved. Adequate security forces have reportedly been deployed at vulnerable places in Kashmir to maintain law and order and prevent miscreants from fomenting any trouble. 

Restrictions have been put on communication links since August 5. These were subsequently eased. The Internet is functional at a few places through leased lines. Mobile internet facility has been made functional but with a speed of 2G with special instructions that it would not be used to access social media sites.

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Kashmir internet

2G mobile internet services in the Kashmir valley was again snapped on Monday as a precautionary measure as separatist groups called for a protest on the death anniversary of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front founder Maqbool Bhat. Authorities had on Sunday also snapped the services as a precautionary measure to prevent any law and order disturbance on the death anniversary of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat. 

The Kashmir Press Club on Monday said security agencies were resorting to threats and intimidation of journalists working in the valley.  The press club held a meeting on Monday where the member associations expressed concern that ever since Article 370 was repealed, the government was not enabling journalists and media to operate freely from the valley.

Meanwhile, mainstream Kashmiri leaders are still under detention, while former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and a former BJP ally Mehbooba Mufti have been charged under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA), just hours before the completion of their six months-long detention.  As per rules, the preventive detention can be extended beyond six months only if an advisory board, constituted two weeks before the completion of the 180-day period, recommends for that. 

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(With ANI inputs)