Quiet burial for Geelani in Srinagar amid security

New Delhi, September 2

Pro-Pakistan separatist Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani (92), who passed away late last evening after prolonged illness, was given a quiet burial amid tight security in the wee hours today.

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Several leaders and workers associated with the Hurriyat, including JK Peoples’ League chairman Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, were taken into preventive detention.

Net snapped

Mobile services and the Internet were snapped as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of rumours and fake news. Barricades were put up at various places and vehicles checked

Geelani, who suffered a minor heart attack in March 2018, was under house arrest for around a decade. He developed “breathing complications” at his Hyderpora residence on the outskirts of Srinagar city around 10.30 pm last evening. He breathed his last soon thereafter.

As per his wish, he was buried at a mosque near his residence, one of his close associates said. His son Naeem is reported to have said that they wanted to bury him at the Idgah in downtown Srinagar.

The UT administration had asked his family to carry out the burial at night as a precautionary measure. Intelligence reports had suggested that anti-national elements might use the occasion to create a law and order problem in the Valley, officials in the security establishment said. Officials said the authorities took Geelani’s body and buried it as per rituals in the presence of family members. “No untoward incident was reported from anywhere. The situation is being reviewed and watched closely," J&K DGP Dilbag Singh is reported to have said. “Mobile services, barring post-paid connections of BSNL, and the Internet were snapped as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of rumours and fake news. Barricades were put up at various places and vehicles checked thoroughly," Kashmir Zone IG Vijay Kumar said. — TNS

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