SRINAGAR: Police in Indian-Held Kashmir have arrested top separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, his aide said on Saturday, as the region’s chief minister met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defended a 50-day lockdown in the region. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, head of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, a political coalition opposed to the Indian rule over Kashmir, was arrested near Srinagar on Friday, his aide, Tariq Buch said. “He was first detained by police while trying to leave home to lead a peaceful demonstration. Later, we came to know he was taken away to Cheshma Shahi, a high security zone in Srinagar,” Buch said. It came as the number of civilians killed since protests erupted in held Kashmir last month after the shooting of a popular separatist leader hit 68 on Saturday, while a police constable was also shot dead.