Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday alleged that he was placed under house arrest and stopped from leading congregational prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid.

This came a week after an inauguration plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem inside the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar was damaged on September 5, allegedly by protesters who claimed that it went against Islamic principles.

A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after the protests, and at least 25 persons were detained for questioning.

In a social media post on Friday, Farooq accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of “relentless interference in religious matters” by “locking us up to silencing our voice on issues ranging from the Ashoka plaque at Hazratbal to meddling with Muslim calendar holidays, to disallowing religious functions at masjids”.

The Hazratbald shrine houses a holy relic of the Prophet Muhammad. The structure had recently undergone a renovation and was inaugurated by Darakshan Andrabi, chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board and a Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

A plaque featuring the national emblem was also installed at the site, which sparked criticism. Protesters had allegedly damaged the inauguration plaque with stones and shouted slogans.

The row regarding the Muslim calendar holiday that Farooq referred to pertains to the Union Territory’s administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Singh, not rescheduling the public holidays for Eid-e-Milad from Friday to Saturday.

Eid-e-Milad marks the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. In the 2025 public holidays list issued by Jammu and Kashmir’s general administration department, September 5 was marked as the holiday for Eid-e-Milad. However, it states that the dates of all Muslim holidays are subject to the sighting of the moon.

In July, Farooq claimed that he was placed under house arrest to stop him from referring to Kashmir Martyrs’ Day in his sermon. The day, observed on July 13, commemorates 22 persons shot dead by the Dogra ruler’s forces in 1931, and was struck off the list of public holidays after Article 370 was abrogated in 2019.

In March, Farooq said he was detained at home ahead of Eid and prevented from offering prayers at the Jamia Masjid.

Security heightened in Doda 

Meanwhile, security was tightened in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, days after violent protests against the detention of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act, PTI reported.

No fresh protests were reported, but prohibitory orders remained in force for the fourth consecutive day.

Mobile internet and Wi-Fi services remain suspended in Doda and Bhalessa towns, while concertina wires were placed near key government offices, according to the news agency.

Authorities also intensified patrolling in view of Friday prayers and urged residents to stay indoors.

Malik, the lone AAP legislator from Doda, was detained on Monday under the Public Safety Act for one year on charges of disturbing public order. He was sent to the Kathua district jail.

He is the first sitting legislator in the Union Territory to be held under the preventive detention law that allows persons to be taken into custody to prevent them from acting against “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order”.

The district witnessed protests and violent clashes on Monday and Wednesday between protesters and security forces over Malik’s detention.

At least eight police personnel, including two officers, were injured in the clashes.

Also read: Explained: The furore at Kashmir’s Hazratbal shrine reflects a deeper anxiety

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