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Police in Jammu and Kashmir have attached the headquarters of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, which was founded by separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani in 2004.
The office has been attached under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in an FIR registered at the Budgam police station last year.
“In a major action against secessionist and terrorist networks, Budgam police have attached the head office of the banned organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat at Rehmatabad, Hyderpora, under Section 25 of the UAPA,” the police said in an official release. “The attached property comprises a three-storey building, which was being used as the office of the banned outfit.”
The Tehreek-e-Hurriyat was founded by Geelani after he parted ways from his parent organisation, the Jamaat-e-Islami. In 2023, it was banned by the Centre as an unlawful organisation.
The head office of the organisation was housed inside the premises of Geelani’s residence at Rehmatabad in Srinagar’s Hyderpora.
After the passing of Geelani and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai – the latter died inside a jail in Jammu in 2022 – and its ban in 2023, the separatist organisation was virtually defunct. Most of the top and second-rung leadership of the outfit is in jail. Geelani (92), a former elected legislator, had been under house detention for more than a decade at the time of his death.
“Acting on collected evidence and with due approval from the competent authority, the property was attached as per legal provisions,” the police said. “This action marks a significant step in the ongoing investigation against unlawful and subversive activities and reflects the firm resolve of the police to neutralise threats to national security and maintain peace in the region.”
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Police said they will continue to take strict measures against individuals and organisations engaged in activities detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
