Police keeps Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest to maintain law and order

Ahead of the municipal polls in the Kashmir Valley, authorities placed senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest here on Sunday.

Police said the decision was taken as a preventive measure to maintain law and order.

Commenting on his arrest ahead of the municipal polls scheduled on Monday, Mirwaiz Umer said on his Twitter page: "Under House Arrest! Peculiar democratic process... a huge deployment of forces, PSAs, incarceration, house arrests, raids, curbs, Internet bans gather momentum! Not to mention the unknown contestants and amused public! What mockery of democracy at display!"

The municipal elections will be held in four phases in Jammu and Kashmir.