Kashmir street protests mastermind arrested

Srinagar: It's being called a major breakthrough, Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Masarat Alam, seen as the spearhead of street protests and stone-pelting in Kashmir Valley for the past four months, was arrested on Monday.

Underground since June this year, Alam, Muslim League chief, was apprehended in Tailbal locality on the outskirts of the city and was booked under the Public Safety Act.

Alam, considered to be close to pro-Pak Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had dodged police for the past four months.

Muslim League is a constituent of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat, headed by Geelani.

The police had put a reward of Rs 10 lakh on him.