August 26, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 23, 1429

NEW DELHI, Aug 25: Key resistance leaders, including heads of both factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik, were among more than 100 activists arrested in the occupied Kashmir ahead of a protest rally on Monday.

An official spokesman said Mr Malik, who had gone underground on Sunday evening, was picked up from an area in the city on Monday.

Reports said that about 100 second rank and other separatist leaders, including the Hurriyat chiefs were taken into custody during the last 24 hours to prevent them from participating in a march to Srinagar’s Lal Chowk city square -- call for which was given by their Coordination Committee (CC) -- spearheading the present agitation in the valley.

Indian Information Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said meanwhile that the federal government would probe an attack on media personnel by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men when the former were performing their duty in Srinagar during the curfew.

Mr Dasmunshi said he would also speak to the Kashmir governor over the issue.

On Sunday, CRPF men had beaten up about a dozen media personnel and damaged about half a dozen vehicles of journalists in the city. The CRPF men beat up six more media persons on Monday when they were performing their duties during the curfew. The CRPF is reported to have refused to honour the media curfew passes.

Meanwhile, all local TV channels remained off the air in protest against the order of the District Magistrate directing them not to telecast news and current affairs programme.

The management of almost all the local English and Urdu Dailies decided not to publish Monday’s issue because of the indefinite curfew in the valley since Sunday, a report from Srinagar said.