‘Hundreds of people joined the prayers and there was no violence reported anywhere’.
Srinagar:After 19 consecutive weeks since 5 August, Friday prayers were offered this week at Jamia Masjid, which is the main mosque of Srinagar. However, only a few hundred people joined the prayers. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has been under house arrest at the Nigeen residence in Srinagar since 4 August, was not allowed to hold the prayers at the mosque.
For the past 19 weeks, the Friday prayers were not allowed in the Jamia Masjid here and other such big mosques of Srinagar city.
A senior police officer told this newspaper that heavy police personnel deployment was in place this Friday to thwart any attempt to initiate violence. He said that hundreds of people joined the Friday prayers and there was no violence reported anywhere.
However, some journalists said that protests happened after the Friday prayers within the mosque compound as the police did not allow people to exit. They said that some youth raised “pro-freedom” slogans during the protests.
Meanwhile, the partial shutdown continued on the 137th day as the government continued the clampdown on internet and pre-paid mobile services.
Although the authorities had said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has returned to normal, additional troops have not been called off from the streets of Kashmir. Besides, 200 new bunkers in Srinagar city have been set up in the past few weeks.
Recently, the National Conference announced that they would challenge the fresh Public Safety Act (PSA) extension to Dr Farooq Abdullah in a court of law. Three former Chief Ministers, including Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, are still under detention along with hundreds of mainstream political leaders, including former ministers and lawmakers.