Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said people of Kashmir are sad and are in pain the way the government treated separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani after his death. Accusing the government of being afraid of Geelani’s body and of fighting with the separatist leader’s body after his death, Mehbooba said, dead bodies deserve respect.

“You fight with a person when he is alive. But when he dies he becomes a body. That body deserves respect. You might have ideological differences with him. We too had differences with Geelani Sahab. But it does mean you will subject his body to disrespect. What we saw in the videos, what we heard and what we read I think it is against humanity,” Mehbooba said talking to reporters in Srinagar.

“Even those who are sentenced to death they are asked before their hanging about their last wish. If he had last wish to be buried at a particular graveyard the government should have respected it. His family members had right to do last rites according to their own wish,” Mehbooba said.

“I have heard the family (Geelani’s family) was manhandled and their female members were misbehaved and after that FIR was registered against them,” she said.

She said even on the fifth day after Geelani’s death shopkeepers have voluntarily closed their shops. “They are doing it even after the government threats of snapping electricity and water connections in case they close their shops.” “The way the government treated Geelani’s body, people who were having a difference of opinion with Geelani, are now sympathizing with him."

She said the government cannot win the hearts and minds of people through the barrel of a gun. She said the government's treatment with Geelani’s body is unfortunate and it should not have happened. "There should be accommodation in this country. This is against India’s culture,” she said.

According to the family members of Geelani, the police raided Geelani’s residence after his death, trampled on everything, thrashed the family members and snatched his body.