Jammu, May 5 (IANS): Senior separatist leader and chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat group, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai passed away on Wednesday in a government hospital in J&K's Jammu city.

Hospital sources said Sehrai had been admitted to government medical college (GMC) hospital Jammu on Tuesday.

"He was suffering from multiple ailments, he passed away today," sources at the GMC hospital said in Jammu.

Sehrai's oxygen saturation level had dropped to 65, but his rapid antigen test (RAT) had come negative. The result of the RT-PCR test is still awaited, same sources said.

Sehrai was brought to the hospital from Kot Balwal jail where he was undergoing detention since last year.

He belonged to Lolab area of north Kashmir Kupwara district.

Sehrai had succeeded the octogenarian separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani as the chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in August 2018 after Geelani relinquished following his deteriorating health.

Sehrai's son, Junaid Sehrai was a top ranking militant commander. He was killed in May 2020 in old city area of Srinagar in an encounter with the security forces.