Detained at home, not allowed to offer prayers at Jamia Masjid, says Kashmir’s chief cleric

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.

For the third consecutive Friday in Ramzan I have been put under arbitrary house arrest-never conveyed in writing, but enforced by placing police vehicles and large contingents in front of my gate and the entire area, chocking gully points and lanes with concertina wires,… pic.twitter.com/90m78aSmBC— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) March 20, 2026

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...

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