Indian Kashmir separatist leader dies, troops deployed in Srinagar | World news

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NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian separatist politician in Kashmir, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, died Wednesday night in Srinagar, prompting authorities to deploy troops around the city and shut down the internet as a precautionary measure, police said. He was 91 years old.

“Troops are being deployed in sensitive locations in Srinagar and other major cities, and moving vehicles is not allowed,” a police officer said.

Geelani was the most senior separatist leader in Kashmir. His family said the elderly politician had been ill for years and had been under house arrest for the past 12 years after leading several protests against India.

A family member told Reuters that Geelani developed chest pain and congestion in his chest on Wednesday afternoon and died late at night in his residence in the region’s capital Srinagar.

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Police Chief Vijay Kumar told Reuters that the internet was shut down as a security measure and restrictions in the Kashmir Valley.

Roads to Geelani’s residence in Srinagar were closed, another official said.

Kashmir has long been a hotspot between India and neighboring Pakistan, claiming the region fully but ruling only in parts. Tensions were renewed, however, after New Delhi withdrew the autonomy of Jammu and the Kashmir state in August 2019 and divided it into two federally administered territories.

Last year, Geelani left his hard-line Hurriyat Conference faction, saying it had failed to counter New Delhi’s efforts to tighten its grip on the disputed region.

The Hurriyat Conference was formed by various separatist groups in Kashmir in 1993 to form a political platform for secession from India in the wake of an armed uprising against New Delhi.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief over Geelani’s death on Twitter, saying the nation would observe a day of mourning.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; editing by Sandra Maler)

Copyright 2021 Thomson Reuters.

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