Police arrested JKLF chief Muhammad Yasin Malik in south Kashmir’s Shopian soon after he came out of the Jamia masjid amid strict restrictions in the town.
Malik had managed to reach the town and enter the jamia masjid early today.
A couple of hundred people had also managed to enter the grand mosque of the town which was sealed by government forces to foil protests against the recent civilian killings in the district, witnesses said.
They said that soon after Malik was detained, police and forces resorted to tear smoke shelling against slogan raising protesters to disperse them, resulting in clashes.
The clashes later spread in other parts of the town, they added.
Pro-freedom leaders had called for “Shopian Challo” to protest against the killings of five civilian in last one week.