India Deploys Troops to Srinagar after Kashmir Independence Leader’s Passing

According to reports, hundreds of troops were deployed in Srinagar, the main city in the Indian-administered Kashmir, on Thursday, a police official said, adding that internet was shut down as a precautionary measure and restrictions were imposed in Kashmir Valley.

“Troops are being deployed at sensitive places in Srinagar and other major towns and no vehicular movement is being allowed,” Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar said.

An unnamed official also told Reuters that security forces had set up barbed wire and barricades on roads leading to Geelani’s house in the city after the family announced his death.

Scores of armored vehicles and trucks patrolled main roads in the area. Police appealed for people not to go out on the streets.

Geelani, the most senior independence leader in Kashmir, died on Wednesday night in Srinagar at the age of 91. He had been under house arrest for most of the last 12 years after leading several anti-India protests.

According to a family member, the elderly politician, who had been ailing for years, developed chest pain and chest congestion on Wednesday afternoon and died late at night at his residence.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief over Geelani’s passing in a post on his Twitter account, saying the nation would observe a day of mourning.