Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday alleged that he has been detained at his home and was not being allowed to offer congregational prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia masjid.
On social media, Farooq alleged that he had been “put under arbitrary house arrest – never conveyed in writing” for the third consecutive Friday during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan.
The detention to prevent him from delivering the Friday sermon at the mosque had been “enforced by placing police vehicles and large contingents in front of my gate and the entire area, choking gully points and lanes with concertina wires, disallowing traffic movement”, the Hurriyat Conference leader alleged.
Farooq shared pictures purportedly showing a large contingent of security forces and police vehicles outside his residence in Nigeen.
The action taken against him conveyed the “panic of the rulers”, the chief cleric said.
“…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,” he stated. “But such measures cannot erase identity nor weaken faith. These attempts will fail.”
On September 12 too, Farooq had alleged that he had been placed under house arrest and stopped from leading congregational prayers at the Jamia mosque.
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.
In July, Farooq had 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.
The day was struck off the list of public holidays after Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated in 2019.
In March 2025, the chief cleric had said that he was detained at home ahead of Eid.
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