Sister, daughter of Farooq Abdullah released

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's sister Suraiya and daughter Safiya were among 13 women agitators released from the Srinagar central jail on Wednesday evening, a day after they were arrested for holding a sit-in protest.

Srinagar:Women protestors, including National Conference President Farooq Abdullah's sister and daughter, who were arrested on Tuesday after they took out a protest march, were released on bail by a court on Wednesday evening.

Abdullah's sister Suraiya, his daughter Safiya and 11 other women furnished a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and surety of Rs 40,000 each under section 107 of criminal procedure code, giving an assurance that they would maintain peace, the officials said.

The women, who were lodged in central jail Srinagar, were released around 6 pm on Wednesday after the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate granted them bail, they said.

Suraiya and Safiya were leading a group of women activists, who wore black armbands and held placards while protesting against modification of provisions of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

They were not allowed by the police to assemble and asked to disperse peacefully. However, they refused to do so and tried to stage a sit-in after which they were detained and then arrested.

Post August 5, when the Centre modified the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir, the state authorities have detained scores of political leaders including three former chief ministers -- Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and Omar Abdullah.

The senior Abdullah was subsequently booked under the stringent Public Safety Act last month.