Police in Jammu and Kashmir detained several separatist leaders on Saturday ahead of planned protests on the sixth anniversary of the execution of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru, PTI reported. The Joint Resistance Leadership had called for a strike on Saturday.

Guru was convicted of playing a central role in the conspiracy that led to the terror attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. He was hanged in secret and buried within the Tihar jail premises in February 2013.

The detained separatist leaders included Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooqi. Authorities said shops and business establishments remained closed on Saturday and public transport services were suspended.

The separatists have demanded that the authorities hand over Guru’s remains to allow them to conduct a proper burial for him in Kashmir. Security personnel were deployed to prevent incidents of violence across the Valley.