SRINAGAR, Feb 11: Occupied Kashmir was brought to a halt by a general strike on Monday as locals marked the anniversary of the execution of a prominent freedom leader.

The day-long strike was called by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in memory of its founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, who was hanged in a New Delhi jail on Feb 11, 1984 for the murder of an intelligence officer. Supporters say the charges were trumped up.

The strike, also supported by other groups opposed to Indian occupation over Kashmir, closed down most of the shops, businesses and offices in Srinagar.

Traffic was also minimal.

Police used batons to beat back dozens of JKLF activists as they tried to reach a UN observer office in Srinagar to submit a petition asking for the UN’s help in obtaining the return of Maqbool Bhat’s remains.

Bhat was buried in New Delhi’s Tihar jail.

“The remains should be handed over to us for decent burial,” said JKLF vice-chairman Bashir Butt as police hauled him and dozens of his supporters into waiting trucks.—AFP