Police arrested JKLF members out on a protest march

A strike is being observed in Indian-administered Kashmir to mark the anniversary of the death of a separatist who was executed in 1984.

Mohammad Maqbool Bhat was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) which began the armed separatist movement in the region.

He was hanged in Delhi after he was convicted of murdering an intelligence officer in 1984.

Shops, schools and colleges are closed in Kashmir and road traffic is sparse.

In the state’s summer capital, Srinagar, the police say they arrested some 20 JKLF members who were on a protest march.

The JKLF and other separatist groups are demanding that Mohammad Maqbool Bhat’s remains be returned to his family for burial.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4704020.stm