Amid heightened security, the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor’s administration closed the historic Jamia Masjid for Friday prayers in the wake of fears of street protests over the civilian deaths in Palestine.
A spokesman said the Anjuman-i-Auqaf, a caretaker body of the Jamia Masjid, said police officials closed the gates of the mosque and warned against opening the premises for Friday prayers.
This is for the second time in the past two weeks that Friday prayers, which see large congregations at the mosque, were disallowed at the mosque for noon prayers. Official sources said there were fears of street protests after the prayers in the area.
The mosque’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, also the Hurriyat chairman, said the authorities once again stopped him for the second consecutive Friday from going to Jamia Masjid.
“Since 15th of October, I continue to be under house detention and not allowed to move out,” the Mirwaiz said.
He deeply regretted the administration’s move to close the mosque for Friday prayers. “Such measures belie the claim of normalcy that the authorities make and instead cause great unease and hurt among the Muslims,” he said.
The Mirwaiz was allowed to resume his religious duty to deliver sermons at the mosque in September, after four years of house detention.
His release came after the Mirwaiz served a legal notice to the L-G administration and approached the court over his detention since August 5, 2019, when the Centre ended J&K’s special constitutional status.
