Journalist and editor Fahad Shah, writing for The Kashmir Walla, has described in detail the last moments of veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the violent process by which Indian authorities seized his body from his family.
According to this account of the veteran Kashmiri leader's passing, his condition was not an immediate cause of concern for caregivers until around 9 pm on the 1st of September. By 10 pm, he had breathed his last.
Once his death had been confirmed, Indian authorities demanded that the family arrange for his burial that very night, within an hour. When his famil y resisted such demands from the authorities, they attempted to break into the room where Geelani's body was kept, wrapped in a Pakistani flag. The family attempted to stop authorities from coming through the door, but they broke through it.
According to the report, which cites the late leader's eldest son, Dr. Naeem Geelani:
“After that we could not recognise who was [doing] what and who was hitting whom. There were women as well and we told them [forces] to switch on lights: ‘do you have no shame?’.” The light then returned.
In a video of the incident shared with The Kashmir Walla by a family member, Naeem is heard telling the police: “we cannot participate in this. Do whatever you want to do. You have power, you have authority, we have nothing.”
“May Allah punish you,” a woman told the armed personnel. “Inshallah!” another followed.”
Moreover, Dr. Naeem Geelani believes that the whole operation by Indian authorities had been rehearsed and planned for months on end, in preparation for the death of the Kashmiri leader – since at least August 2019.
For their part, Indian authorities are denying claims that the body of the departed leader was snatched. The police claim, instead, that they “facilitated the family members to take his body from home to the graveyard and also didn’t let miscreants misuse the situation.”
According to this account of the veteran Kashmiri leader's passing, his condition was not an immediate cause of concern for caregivers until around 9 pm on the 1st of September. By 10 pm, he had breathed his last.
Once his death had been confirmed, Indian authorities demanded that the family arrange for his burial that very night, within an hour. When his famil y resisted such demands from the authorities, they attempted to break into the room where Geelani's body was kept, wrapped in a Pakistani flag. The family attempted to stop authorities from coming through the door, but they broke through it.
According to the report, which cites the late leader's eldest son, Dr. Naeem Geelani:
“After that we could not recognise who was [doing] what and who was hitting whom. There were women as well and we told them [forces] to switch on lights: ‘do you have no shame?’.” The light then returned.
In a video of the incident shared with The Kashmir Walla by a family member, Naeem is heard telling the police: “we cannot participate in this. Do whatever you want to do. You have power, you have authority, we have nothing.”
“May Allah punish you,” a woman told the armed personnel. “Inshallah!” another followed.”
Moreover, Dr. Naeem Geelani believes that the whole operation by Indian authorities had been rehearsed and planned for months on end, in preparation for the death of the Kashmiri leader – since at least August 2019.
For their part, Indian authorities are denying claims that the body of the departed leader was snatched. The police claim, instead, that they “facilitated the family members to take his body from home to the graveyard and also didn’t let miscreants misuse the situation.”