Restrictions Remain in Place in Kashmir as Geelani Given Quiet Burial by Police

Geelani's younger son alleged the police did not allow the family to participate in the funeral.

Restrictions continued to be in place in Kashmir on Friday.

Photo: Muneeb ul Islam

Restrictions continued to be in place in Kashmir on Friday, 3 September, a day after the death of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who breathed his last on Wednesday night. Officials said the situation would be reviewed after the day's congregational prayers after which a decision would be taken, reported PTI.

Geelani, who died at the age of 92, was given a quiet burial at a graveyard near his residence in Srinagar’s Hyderpora in the early hours of Thursday, 2 September, amid a strict security clampdown across Kashmir.

A large number of police and paramilitary force personnel manned the street, which led to Geelani’s house. They had already erected steel barricades there after his death on Wednesday night.

Spools of barbed wire had been laid on the roads.

Photo: PTI

Police forces prevented pedestrian movement on Thursday.

Photo: Muneeb ul Islam

Armed patrol teams were seen in almost every lane leading up to Hyderpora.

Photo: Muneeb ul Islam

Markets Shut, Tight Security, Internet Suspended

The burial took place at around 4.30 am, amid tight security, as the paramilitary forces blocked the entrance to the local graveyard where he was buried, reported Firstpost.

Armed patrol teams were seen in almost every lane leading up to Hyderpora, reported The Times of India. Internet services had already been suspended on Wednesday night, and subscribers of various telecom networks were unable to make phone calls even on Thursday morning. Only BSNL’s internet service on fixed lines and its postpaid mobile phone services were functional. The situation was much the same on Friday, reported PTI.

Markets remained shut, and a number of armed personnel had been deployed on the roads, who prevented the vehicular and pedestrian movement on Thursday, with spools of barbed wire having been laid on the roads.

A number of armed personnel had been deployed on the roads, who prevented the vehicular and pedestrian movement on Thursday.

Photo: Muneeb ul Islam

Most of the internet service remained suspended even on Friday.

Photo: Muneeb ul Islam

Geelani's Son Alleges Family Wasn't Allowed to Participate in the Funeral

Geelani’s younger son, Syed Naseem Geelani, alleged the police barged inside their house and forcefully took the body away as they wanted to bury him on Wednesday night itself, reported The Indian Express. Naseem said the police held the last rites on their own and informed the family later.

Family and relatives of Geelani were able to visit his grave on Thursday morning.

Photo: Muneeb ul Islam

“We told the police that he desired to be buried at Eidgah (in old Srinagar) and that we wanted to bury him there in the morning... The officer in charge... told us that there is pressure from higher officials to bury him at night.”

Syed Naseem Geelani to Hindustan Times

Family and relatives of Geelani were able to visit his grave on Thursday morning.

Photo: UMER ASIF

However, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police called the allegations were baseless, with Inspector General (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar pointing out that relatives did take part in the last rites.

(With Inputs from PTI, Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express.)