Renowned academician Agha Ashraf Ali passed away at his home here on Friday night.
Ali, who was 97, breathed his last at 11:45 p.m. at his Rajbagh residence, sources said.
The scholar was weak due to old age and died minutes after going to bed, the sources said on Saturday.
They said Ali was laid to rest at his family graveyard, Gulistan Baba Mazaar, at Alamgari Bazar area of the old city.
Ali, who retired as commissioner Higher Education, was nominated to the State legislative council in 2002 by the then Governor G.C. Saxena, but he refused the offer.
During his career, Ali served in many important positions including as the first chairman of the Board of School Education and a professor at Kashmir University.
Meanwhile, several political and social organisations expressed grief over Ali’s death.
National Conference President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah expressed profound grief and sorrow over his demise, saying the valley had lost one of the most distinguished scholars who was revered by all.
A renaissance figure of Kashmir, his philosophy of life was firmly grounded in the progressive philosophy of humanism and secularism. A polymath, he authored many books and many lucky ones had the honour of having him as their teacher. He was an institution in himself and guided generations,” the NC president said.
Senior PDP leader and former education minister Naeem Akhtar said the Valley had lost one of its brightest stars.
Kashmir today lost one of its brightest stars. Agha Ashraf Ali was no ordinary scholar. He was a school by himself which enlightened, educated generations of students and teachers. He was a true representative of what is good of us and for us, Akhtar said in a tweet.
