Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Ashraf Sehrai buried at native village

Sehrai, 77, a close confidant of hardliner Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was incarcerated at the district jail in Udhampur since July 13, 2020 under the Public Safety Act.

Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Ashraf Sehrai was buried at his native village in Jammu Kashmir’s Kupwara amid tight security early on Thursday. Only close relatives were allowed to participate in the funeral at Tekipora Lolab in Kupwara, his native village.

Mortal remains of senior Hurriyat leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, who was in jail booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), before being taken to his hometown, in Jammu. (PTI Photo)

Jailed Tehreek-e Hurriyat chairman died in Jammu Government Medical hospital on Wednesday afternoon and his body was handed over to relatives in the evening after a post-mortem. Police said Sehrai had tested Covid positive in a RT-PCR test report, which came after his death. He had earlier tested negative in a rapid antigen test. PTI quoted officials claiming he had Covid-19 symptoms and his oxygen levels had fallen.

From Jammu, the body of Hurriyat leader was directly taken to Tekipora for burial. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said Sehrai’s funeral was done as per Covid protocol in presence of his family members.

Sehrai, 77, a close confidant of hardliner Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was incarcerated at the district jail in Udhampur since July 13, 2020 under the Public Safety Act. He complained of breathlessness on Tuesday and was taken to the district hospital before being shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, after his health deteriorated, said officials.

He was the incumbent chairperson of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat having replaced Geelani in 2018. Sehrai was one of those detained during ahead of the revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two union territories in August 2019. He was finally arrested under the PSA from his Barzaulla residence in Srinagar in July last year.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference claimed Sehrai, suffering from multiple ailments, was left unattended despite requests by his family for medical attention. However, officials rejected the allegations as “baseless”, saying he was taken to hospital after he complained of health issues.

Last year, Sehrai’s son Junaid, joined the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit and was killed in an encounter in the old city. Meanwhile, the Kashmir Bar Association questioned the circumstance of the separatist leader’s death.

“Sehrai was detained under PSA last year and his habeas corpus petition is still pending disposal before the J&K high court at Srinagar. The council for Sehrai had filed three applications before the court for shifting him from Jammu jail, hospitalisation owing to ill serious heart ailment and meeting with the family members,” the bar association said in a statement.

Leaders of almost all mainstream political parties in Kashmir expressed condolence over Sehrai’s death.