Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday alleged that he was put under house arrest, preventing him from delivering the Friday sermon at the historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar.
He said this was the third consecutive Friday during the holy month of Ramzan when he was put under house arrest.
“For the third consecutive Friday in Ramzan, I have been put under arbitrary house arrest-never conveyed in writing, but enforced by placing police vehicles and large contingents in front of my gate and the entire area, chocking gully points and lanes with concertina wires, disallowing traffic movement, all to prevent me from delivering the Friday sermon at Jama Masjid!” Mirwaiz said on X.
He further alleged that such measures reflect panic among the authorities.
“While it conveys panic of the rulers, the centrality of Jama Masjid for the Muslims of the region has unfortunately always been a thorn in their side, as are Muslim institutions and identity which they want to undermine. But such measures cannot erase identity nor weaken faith. These attempts will fail,” he added.
