‘It has been the longest confinement period throughout his life’
SRINAGAR: Expressing serious concern over his continuous house arrest, family of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said that the prolonged detention is affecting his health badly.
Mr Geelani’s son, Nayeem Geelani said his father’s feet and legs have swollen and that it has become difficult for him even to walk properly.
“It is (also) understood that when a person doesn’t interact with the society on regular basis, he develops a strange mental trauma due to which many diseases in that person emerge.”
He further said that it has become difficult for his family to counsel or mitigate Geelani on this issue.
Mr geelani, who heads the hardline faction of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference, has been confined by the police to his home since March this year.
The Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad recently stated that Geelani could be allowed only if he doesn’t “instigate people for violence”.
The police chief further mentioned that “police has reports that wherever Geelani addresses people incidents of stone pelting take place and hence law and order in the state gets disturbed.”
Hurriyat spokesman, Ayaz Akbar said the current phase of Mr Geelani’s house arrest is the “longest” in his life.
“He is placed under house detention continuously for more than 228 days, during which he was only allowed thrice to visit the hospital here for his health checkups.”
