Indian paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters Thursday in the disputed Kashmir region amid a crackdown on public movement following the death of a top separatist leader.

READ MORE: Indian authorities curtailed public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout Thursday 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.

Geelani, who died late Wednesday at age 92, was buried in a local graveyard during a quiet funeral organized by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son, Naseem Geelani, told The Associated Press. He said the family had planned to bury him at the main martyrs’ graveyard in Srinagar, the region’s main city, as specified in his will, but they were not allowed to do so by police.

“They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist, but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women,” Naseem Geelani said.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that officials buried Geelani’s body and prohibited any mass funeral in anticipation of anti-India protests.

As most Kashmiris remained locked inside their homes, police and soldiers patrolled the tense region. Government forces placed steel barricades and razor wire across many roads, bridges and intersections and set up additional checkpoints in towns and villages in the Kashmir Valley.

Authorities shut down most cellphone networks and mobile internet service in a common tactic employed by India to head off mass protests.

LINK: https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/india-locks-down-kashmir-after-top-separatist-leaders-death