Jail Worries
Saima Bhat
The main entrance to the Central Jail Srinagar,, Kashmir’s major jailing facility.
Famous among separatists for his “flawless” oration, Muhammad Ashraf Khan, Sehrai, 77, languishing under Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) in Udhampur jail, is dead.
On May 4, when Mujahid Ashraf Khan, his son, received a call from jail authorities about the deteriorating health of his father and asking him to come over to Jammu, he would have never imagined that he would return with his father’s coffin.
That day, Sehrai had been admitted to a government hospital in Udhampur with multiple ailments. A day later, however, his oxygen levels dropped, deteriorating his condition further. He was also tested for Covid19 positive and it initially was negative. Post-death, authorities declared him Covid19 “positive”.