The Jammu and Kashmir Police have disallowed the congregational night prayers at Srinagar’s historic grand mosque on Shab-e-Baraat, one of the holiest nights in the Islamic calendar. The police also put Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house detention.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the restrictions at the grand mosque “unfortunate” and said they indicate a “lack of confidence in law and order machinery.”
“It is very unfortunate that the security establishment has taken the decision to seal the historic Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, on one of the holiest nights in the Islamic calendar – Shab-e-Baraat. This decision betrays a lack in confidence in the people and a lack of confidence in the law and order machinery that calm won’t prevail without extreme measures. The people of Srinagar deserved better,” he posted on X.
The Anjuman Auqaf (management) of Jamia Masjid said that on Thursday afternoon, police asked worshippers to vacate the premises and closed the gates. The management said the police informed them that the night prayers for Shab-e-Baraat would not be allowed.
The police also put Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who traditionally leads the night prayers at the mosque, under house arrest early on Thursday.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
