India imposes tight controls in Kashmir following death of top separatist leader

Pigeons fly in a deserted market area in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir (Mukhtar Khan/AP)

Indian authorities cracked down on public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout in disputed Kashmir after the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the region’s defiance against New Delhi.

Mr Geelani, who died late on Wednesday at the age of 92, was buried in a quiet funeral at a local graveyard organised by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son Naseem Geelani said.