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Relatives of Kashmir icon in trouble after his death

September 5, 2021

The death of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani raised tensions in Kashmir, with authorities slapping charges on his family members. Geelani's relatives accuse the police of stealing his body.

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Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani
Syed Ali Geelani was a well-known and respected figure in Kashmir's pro-independence movementImage: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

The family of the late Kashmiri separatist icon, Syed Ali Geelani, has been charged under India's anti-terror legislation for wrapping Geelani's body in a Pakistani flag and chanting for freedom after he passed away.

Geelani died Wednesday in his early nineties in Srinagar. He was a well-known and respected figure in Kashmir who spent years under house arrest and more than half a century fighting for autonomy from Indian rule.

Indian policemen and paramilitary soldiers keep guard as they impose restrictions outside the residence of top separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani in Srinagar
Geelani had spent years of his life under house arrestImage: Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo/picture alliance

In a video that spread rapidly across social media, Geelani's body is seen wrapped in a Pakistani flag. The video purports to show Indian police entering to take away his body, as family members wailed and some clashed with officers while others chanted a popular call for freedom.

Police dispute video

Indian officials deny taking his body, with police dismissing the claims as "baseless rumors" by "some vested interests."

Now the family of Geelani is charged under India's Unlawful Activities Prevention Act with "raising anti-national slogans and resorting to other anti-national activities" at his home upon his death. While the law permits detention without trial, the family has yet to be detained.

"We told the visiting police officers that they had taken control of everything after my father's death and that we were mourning," Geelani's son Naseem told AFP Sunday. While not denying the charges, he said that the family "had no way of knowing who was doing what."

India restricts protest following Geelani's passing

Since Geelani's death, numerous restrictions have come into force in Kashmir. Indian troops are guarding his grave.

On Sunday, the Indian authorities began to ease a lockdown they had imposed after the news of Geelani's death. Private vehicles were allowed back on roads and vendors were permitted to operate in parts of Srinagar.

Kashmir's pellet gun victims

On Saturday, mobile phone and internet services was partially restored, though AP reported mobile internet remained spotty in areas of Kashmir on Sunday. Restrictions on protests and public gatherings remained in force.

On Twitter, Geelani's granddaughter Ruwa Shah wrote her grandfather's home "was a jail for over a decade and now his graveyard is a jail too." 

ar/dj (AFP, AP)