Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claims house arrest, slams 'interference' in religious matters

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday claimed he was put under house arrest and not allowed to offer congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid here, calling it an "interference" in religious matters.

"Once again, I have been placed under house arrest by the authorities on the occasion of Majlis-e-Rahmat-ul-lil-Alameen at Jama Masjid, where respected ulema were to participate today," Mirwaiz, who is also Kashmir's chief cleric, said on X.

He alleged "relentless interference in our religious matters" by the authorities.

"Our human and political rights already stand denied, and then there is this relentless interference in our religious matters from 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," he charged.

Last Friday, a huge controversy erupted in Kashmir after a plaque with the Ashoka emblem was vandalised in the Hazratbal shrine as most political parties accused Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem in the mosque and demanded registration of a criminal case and her immediate removal.

The pulpit of Jamia Masjid will, however, continue to raise its voice be on matters of "religious interference" or "blatant violation of people's rights" and their "disempowerment", he added.