Police in Jammu and Kashmir were put on high alert...

Police in Jammu and Kashmir were put on high alert after a POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) designated court in New Delhi awarded death sentences to three Kashmiris, namely Syed Abdur, Rehman Geelani, Showkat Guru and Mohammad Afzal for the attack on parliament in December 2001. Protest demonstrations were held in Sopore, Kupwara and Baramulla, the native places of those sentenced to death. The Kashmir Bar Association called for a complete shutdown throughout the region to protest the verdict. Demonstrations would be held at all judicial headquarters by lawyers as a mark of protest, the Association said in a statement. Lawyers in the region abstained from courts to protest the conviction. The Hurriyat Conference demanded an impartial probe at international level on the Parliamentary attacks. Commenting on the verdict the separatist amalgam said in a statement that "no freedom loving person can be involved in such acts".