Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday claimed he was placed under house arrest and barred from offering congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid, calling it an “interference” in religious affairs.
“Once again, I have been placed under house arrest by the authorities on the occasion of Majlis-e-Rahmat-ul-lil-Alameen at Jama Masjid, where respected ulema were scheduled to participate today,” Mirwaiz, who also serves as Kashmir’s chief cleric, said on X.
He accused the authorities of “relentless interference in our religious matters.”
“Our human and political rights are already denied, and now there is constant interference in our religious practices—from locking us up to silencing our voices on issues ranging from the Ashoka plaque at Hazratbal to meddling with Muslim calendar holidays, and even preventing religious functions at masjids,” he asserted.
The controversy follows last Friday’s incident at Hazratbal shrine, where a plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem was vandalised. Most political parties accused Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem in the mosque, demanding a criminal case against her and her immediate removal.
Mirwaiz added that the pulpit of Jamia Masjid will continue to speak out against what he called “religious interference,” “blatant violations of people’s rights,” and the “disempowerment” of the community.
