Rumours about the death of ailing separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani triggered panic in Kashmir on Tuesday. The 84-year secessionist’s health has deteriorated for past several days since he returned from New Delhi after spending several weeks away from Kashmiri’s biting cold. The fresh spell of inclement weather has worsened his condition.
Hundreds of callers rang up media persons or Geelani’s office bearers to inquire the veracity of rumours, which were triggered by messages on social networking sites.
Geelani is surviving on half kidney and a pacemaker regulates his heart while he is suffering from acute bronchitis. On Tuesday, two senior bureaucrats—Farooq Shah and Khurshid Shah—deputy commissioners of Srinagar and Budgam—called upon Geelani at his Hyderpora residence and offered him State aircraft if he wished to go to New Delhi for treatment. However, Geelani refused to avail the offer. He is flying to Delhi on Thursday.
"Geelani Sahab is showing improvement and is recovering. Don't trust rumours and do not create panic. He is stable and there is no need to panic,” his son Dr Nayeem said. A news agency quoted one of the deputy commissioners who met with Geelani at his residence as saying that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah directed them to inquire about well-being of Geelani and to offer him services of state aircraft should he wished to be airlifted to New Delhi. The officer said that Geelani’s condition was stable.