Sarjan Barkati falls ill in custody, Officials say 'is fine now'

November 15, 2022 by News Desk

South Kashmir-based preacher Sarjan Barkati has taken ill in Police custody in Zainapora in the Shopian district of South Kashmir on Tuesday morning.

A family member of Barkati told The Kashmiriyat over the phone that Sarjan who has been under detention since fell ill during the night in Police custody in the Zainapora area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

“He was complaining of chest pain. We initially thought it was a heart attack, after which the Police rushed him to the hospital. He is fine now,” his family member said.

A Police official confirming the development said that Sarjan had complained of stomach aches after which the Police rushed him to the hospital.

“The doctors conducted various tests on him and he is doing absolutely fine now,” the Police official told The Kashmiriyat.

The cleric popularly known as ‘Azadi Chacha’ was arrested on 17 September 2022 when several preachers from south Kashmir including Maulana Abdul Rashid Dawoodi and Maulana Mushtaq Ahmed Veeri were arrested. The two latter were booked under the Public Safety Act and shifted to Jammu’s Kot Balwal Jail.

Barkati has been arrested twice in the last two years. Earlier he was booked under the Public Safety Act in 2016, only to be released after four years.