Friday prayers not allowed at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid

Srinagar: Congregational prayers were not allowed at the historic Jamia Masjid here on Friday in view of apprehensions of protests against the Israeli action in Gaza, sources said.

The grand mosque located in Nowhatta area of the city here was locked and no Friday prayers were allowed, officials said.

Security forces personnel were deployed in strength around the mosque to maintain law and order, they said.

While there was no official word on the reason for the closure of the mosque for prayers, the sources said there were apprehensions of protests against the Israeli action in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli action follows a series of brazen attacks on its towns by Hamas militants over the weekend which triggered fresh tensions in the region.

The Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid – the managing body of the mosque – in a statement, said police officials have closed the gates of the mosque Srinagar and informed it that Friday prayers will not be allowed.

The Auqaf also claimed that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq “has yet again been put under house arrest early morning today”.

The Mirwaiz was recently released after four years of house detention in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.