Kashmir chief cleric claims he was detained at home, criticises ‘interference in religious matters’

Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday alleged that he was placed under house arrest and stopped from leading congregational prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid.

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.

A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after the protests, and at least 25 persons were detained for questioning.

In a social media post on Friday, Farooq accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of “relentless interference in religious matters” by “locking us up to silencing our voice on issues ranging from the Ashoka plaque at Hazratbal to meddling with Muslim calendar holidays, to disallowing religious functions at masjids”.

Once again, I have been placed under house arrest by the authorities on the occasion of Majlis-e-Rahmat-ul-lil-Alameen ﷺ at Jama Masjid, where respected ulema were to participate today. Our human and political rights already stand denied, and then there is this relentless… pic.twitter.com/Tmik62QxTS— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) September 12, 2025

The Hazratbald shrine houses a holy relic of the Prophet Muhammad. The structure had recently undergone a renovation and was inaugurated by Darakshan...

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