Crime Today News
Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday alleged that he was detained at his home ahead of Eid prayers, and that congregational prayers were barred at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid.
“I am deeply pained and strongly condemn the authorities decision to once again deny the Muslims of Kashmir the basic right to offer Eid prayers at Eidgah and Jama Masjid which have been closed down and I have been detained at home,” he said in a post on X.
Farooq said that even during the peak of militancy in the 1990s, Eid prayers were held at the Eidgah.
“Eidgah and Jama Masjid belong to the people,” Farooq added. “Barring them from these sacred spaces even on Eid reflects an oppressive and authoritarian approach that prevails in Kashmir today.”
He further asked: “So now when huge claims of normalcy are made everyday by the authorities, why are Muslims being kept away from their religious places and practices? What is the agenda? Is the collective identity of Kashmiri Muslims a threat to the rulers?”
I am deeply pained and strongly condemn the authorities decision to once again deny the Muslims of Kashmir the basic right to offer Eid prayers at Eidgah and Jama Masjid which have been closed down and I have been detained at home
Even at the peak of miltancy during 1990’s Eid… pic.twitter.com/Q5kstVUlq8
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) March 31, 2025
Ahead of Eid, authorities intensified security measures in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area, where the historic Jama Masjid is located. They stopped worshippers’ access to the mosque premises, The Wire reported quoting eyewitnesses.
On Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, Darakhshan Andrabi, announced that Eid prayers would not be held at the Eidgah grounds due to ongoing construction work.
“The biggest congregation will be at Hazratbal shrine,” Andrabi was quoted as saying by The Wire. “All arrangements have been completed by the Waqf Board in coordination with line departments.”
Farooq was detained at his home and barred from offering congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid on March 14 as well.
This came days after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs banned the Awami Action Committee, the political outfit led by Farooq, as well as the Jammu Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen led by Masroor Abbas Ansari, for five years. Both groups were accused of anti-national activities, supporting terrorism and fuelling secessionist activities.
The two parties are constituents of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella body formed in 1993 to provide a political platform for Kashmiri separatism.
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