Srinagar, Dec 07, 2019 human rights violations: The continued siege and curb is turning out to be the longest in the past three decades when there have been no congregational prayers including Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.
The grand Masjid remained closed for the devotees since August 5, when the Indian Modi government of BJP-RSS abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370 and 35 A of Indian constitution) and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories. Earlier, the grand masjid has been closed for 22-long years during the then Dogra Maharaja’s time.
The Auqaf committee while demanding authorities to lift the forces deployment around the Masjid and release of Jamia Masjid’s head religious and political leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from house detention.
As per eye-witnesses, the main gate of Jamia Masjid remained open today while the four gates of the Masjid continued to remain locked and huge contingent of Indian police and paramilitary troopers were deployed around the Masjid since the wee hours of this morning.
An Auqaf member said that no prayer was offered in the Masjid since August 5. “The authorities haves deprived us from offering prayers at the Masjid. The administration is now claiming to have lifted the restrictions, but forces could be seen manning the gates and the roads in and around the Masjid,” the Auqaf members said.
They said that Indian forces should not be deployed around the Masjid. Zareef Ahmad Zareef, a prominent historian from Kashmir told media men that it is for the first time after Maharaja rule that Jamia Masjid is witnessing no prayers for 18th consecutive week.
Earlier, the Jamia Masjid remained closed for 16 successive Fridays during the unrest in Kashmir after the killing of a top Hizb commander, Burhan Muzaffar Wani. — the mosque was locked for about four months and no congregational prayers were offered there for 16 consecutive Fridays.
Zareef said, the historic Jamia Masjid remained closed for prayers for 22 years during Dogra rule from 1819-1846 in the Kashmir Valley. The Masjid was turned into a cowshed during their rule.
“The restrictions on the prayers are still in place and we have not been allowed to offer prayers at the Jamia Masjid,” reports quoted an official of the managing committee of the mosque as saying.
According to reports, he said police locked the main gates of the grand mosque and did not allow the congregational prayers or even purification of the Jamia Masjid.
He said police locked the main gates of the grand mosque and did not allow the congregational prayers or even purification of the Jamia Masjid.
“However, this time, the mosque has been locked for 18 consecutive Fridays, which is more than the number of times it was locked in 2016. Also, in 2016, Fajar (morning) and Isha (night) prayers were allowed at the mosque, but this time, no prayers have been allowed,” the official said. While the restrictions were gradually eased and prayers were allowed at other big mosques and shrines across the valley, the Jamia Masjid continued to remain locked. The people have condemned the continuous curbs on prayers at the grand mosque, saying it was an attack on their religious freedom.
“They (authorities) have surpassed the previous records of curbs on the mosque. Never in the recent history of Kashmir have we seen curbs on the mosque for such a long time. This is an attack on our religious freedom,” Umar Nazir, a resident of downtown area of the city, said.
Another local, Parvez Ganai, said the continued locking up of the mosque berated the Indian government’s claims of return of normalcy in the valley.