Have been barred from attending Ramadan Friday prayers, says Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief priest of Kashmir, on Friday (March 20) asserted that he was placed under house arrest and was prohibited from attending the congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, the capital of the Union Territory.

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In a post on X, he said, “For the third consecutive Friday in Ramzan I have been put under arbitrary house arrest-never conveyed in writing, but enforced by placing police vehicles and large contingents in front of my gate and the entire area, chocking gully points and lanes with concertina wires, disallowing traffic movement, all to prevent me from delivering the Friday sermon at Jama Masjid!”

For the third consecutive Friday in Ramzan I have been put under arbitrary house arrest-never conveyed in writing, but enforced by placing police vehicles and large contingents in front of my gate and the entire area, chocking gully points and lanes with concertina wires,… pic.twitter.com/90m78aSmBC

— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) March 20, 2026

Presence of security officials, cops outside home

He additionally shared images that allegedly depict a significant presence of security personnel and police vehicles stationed outside the entrance of his home in the city’s Nigeen area.

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Mirwaiz, who delivers the Friday sermon at the grand mosque in Srinagar’s Nowhatta locality, said his house detention "conveys panic of the rulers".

“While it conveys panic of the rulers, the centrality of Jama Masjid for the Muslims of the region has unfortunately always been a thorn in their side, as are Muslim institutions and identity, which they want to undermine. But such measures cannot erase identity nor weaken faith. These attempts will fail,” he added.

(With agency inputs)