Srinagar: Despite being the first Friday of the ongoing month of Ramadhan, no congregation prayers were offered at Kashmir’s historic Jamia Masjid in old city. According to the KNS correspondent, authorities since Thursday evening placed Kashmir’s chief religious cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest who was supposed to deliver Friday sermon in the grand mosque.
Reports informed that in view of the Prime Minister Narendera Modi’s visit to valley and the strike call issued by the separatist leadership here, curfew and restrictions, on first Friday of Ramadhan, were imposed in old city with the roads wearing deserted look. No Friday congregation prayers were allowed in Jamia Masjid.
Police also have placed Masjid’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house detention. Strict curfew has been imposed in various places in and outside the Srinagar in view of the Modi’s first visit to Kashmir. Meanwhile, various pro-freedom leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and others have been placed under arrest.