Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s administration on Wednesday “attached” the Srinagar home and office of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, four years after his death.
The action came as over a dozen spectators were briefly detained for allegedly not standing up during the national anthem at the final of the J&K Police Martyrs’ Memorial Football Tournament in Srinagar on Tuesday evening. The police said they were released after counselling.
A police statement said the force had attached the head office of the banned organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, without mentioning that the Geelani and his family had lived there for years. Geelani’s wife still resides there.
The government has attached scores of properties since the 2019 scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, but the action against Geelani’s home and office has come belatedly despite him being the foremost target of the State.
Geelani, who headed the hardline Hurriyat, died in 2021. The government had imposed restrictions then to prevent people from joining his funeral.
“Attached” properties cannot be sold but the action does not amount to seizure as the occupants are allowed to stay on.
Geelani’s office-cum-home is located at Rehmatabad, Hyderpora, and was a prominent address before the 2019 decisions.
The police said it was attached under Section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A spokesman said the attached property comprised a three-storey building that was being used as the office of the banned outfit.
The police said they acted on collected evidence and with due approval from the competent authority.
“This action marks a significant step in the ongoing investigation against unlawful and subversive activities and reflects the firm resolve of Budgam Police to neutralise threats to national security and maintain peace in the region,” the police said.
The government has almost silenced the separatist movement in Kashmir.
The government on Tuesday detained over a dozen spectators for allegedly disrespecting the national anthem. The lieutenant governor was the chief guest at the event. The anthem was played live by a band.
“Since they were young, no charges were filed,” an officer said.
The detained individuals, according to sources, claimed the anthem’s low volume in parts of the stadium caused confusion and there was “no intention to show disrespect”.
DGP Nalin Prabhat and senior officers of the police and civil administration, members of football associations and clubs, prominent sports personalities, and youth in large numbers attended the closing ceremony.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said: “It is sad to see where the BJP has taken Kashmir and they have to make people stand up for the national anthem at gunpoint. When I was in school or college, we would stand up for the national anthem on our own, no one made us do it at gunpoint.”